Thuuump.

I swung the heavy doors of the Mage Guild open to be greeted by a large hall, brightly lit by numerous windows inviting sunlight in. As my eyes scanned the hall, I couldn’t help but make a comparison to the Adventurer Guild.

It was an ambitious room, with a high ceiling, and walls carefully decorated with paintings and banners, furniture complementing the spacious room, suited to a disposition belonging to a wealthy class, in contrast to the cramped, stuffy, rowdy, unapologetic hall of the Adventurer Guild, which resembled, in many ways, a pub. But despite the various ornately carved wooden tables and chairs arranged at the sides and corners of the room, bookshelves filled to the brim with imposing, thick tomes, and the aesthetically pleasing walls of warm deep-brown wooden panels meeting beige-cream bricks, it lacked something the Adventurer Guild had.

People.

It was sparsely populated, with only a few heads at the tables of the hall, and a couple standing at the side. As the door opened, and Shara and I stepped into the room, I felt every single pair of eyes assess us momentarily.

“Well, I wish you good fortune in this process.” Shara gave me a few, friendly pats on the back before she casually strolled to a table to my left and sat herself. “I will relegate myself to watching from here. Undoubtedly, you will find success, for you are, after all, a prodigy mage, no?” she said, while holding a thumbs-up.

“That’s the hope,” I said, walking past her and towards the wall opposite us, approaching the desk sandwiched between two doorways. The head of the one seated behind the desk glanced up at my approach, a human, middle-aged in appearance, with harshly-set, dark eyebrows and scrutinizing eyes.

“So,” he said severely, “what does this little urchin want?” Irritation was obvious not only in his curt, sharp manner of speaking but also in the way he pinched the bridge of nose and in the way his mouth insisted in maintaining its frown.

“Hello, good day, mister. I was hoping to ask about registering in the Mage Guild. See, I happen to be a mage,” I said, playing up my politeness. A small sigh of relief escaped my lips as I saw his frown lessen in severity upon hearing me.

“I see, well, good day to you too certainly,” he said, after clearing his throat with a few, phlegmy coughs. “Have a certificate of completion which you could show me, then? Or, perhaps, a certificate of current enrollment, somewhere? That would make this process a lot faster for the two of us.”

“Ah… a certificate… of…”

His frown deepened, as he realized that the process would most certainly not go as smooth as he hoped.

“If you’re in-training or have completed your training at an academy – and a real academy, not some nonsense, ignorant gathering of frauds – then you’ll get one of these certificates of which I speak. So, otherwise, do you have proof you’re a mage? Or should I send you off now, please?” he asked in a manner that would sound friendly if his harsh, irksome expression didn’t say otherwise.

“Ah, so, you see, I was trained personally by another mage…” I said in response.

“And, just who is this other mage? Don’t tell me it’s your father.” His eyebrows curled upwards snidely.

“No, actually, it’s my mother…” I said with a nervous smile. Part of me contemplated using magic, here and now, just to make things quicker, but I shook off the thought, opting to delay that solution for a more opportune time.

“When? Where?” he asked with a faux-smile.

“For five years, starting when I was three… and in a small village in the countryside…” As I talked, I realized just how difficult a client I was likely being.

“...Dear gods, that’s just absolutely sweet, isn’t it?” he said, shaking his head while exhaling exasperatedly. “Listen closely, kid. I’m here, tolerating the act of humoring you, only because, despite everything, it’s my job, and so it’s my job to run through procedures, even if I damn well know that you’re just some boy messing around. So. Now what? Will you bring your mother with you to convince me?”

I ignored his ranting as I unwrapped the cloth covering my staff, revealing a long, silver staff, carefully engraved patterns visible on the side and running throughout, with a large, emerald gemstone set on top, snugly fitted between three wing-like protrusions. The gemstone shone purely, almost flawless under the natural light.

“Oh,” he said, puzzled. All of his present irritation seemed to have been replaced with a silent wonder. He stood and leaned in to get a better look at the staff, while I struggled to maintain a neutral expression at his reaction. “Pure silver… and an emerald amplifier… and those patterns seem unorthodox but not nonsensical… fascinating… Ah, apologies,” he said, sitting himself back down.

“Does this help make my case more convincing?” I asked. Meanwhile, I inputted a small amount of mana into the staff, causing the gem to glow a bright, bold hue.

“I… suppose,” he said, suddenly sitting up straight. “Apologies for my rude behavior earlier, then. But if milord is a member of a noble family, seeking membership, do you perhaps carry a seal? Or, a–”

“No, sorry, you’ve got it wrong, I’m no aristocrat, I’m just a traveler,” I said.

Again, the man slumped into his seat, deflated, his expectations seemingly once more crushed. Even I couldn’t help but feel bad, though my sympathy was lessened by the way he had condescended over me. Still, how much stress was I causing this poor, old man to undergo?

“Okay, sure,” he said, almost sardonically. “You are just a traveler who happens to be in possession of a very, very valuable piece of magic technology. So either, a dishonest noble boy, wanting to make a name for himself, or a shameless thief, expecting to be registered without physical evidence of training or education, without the mage who supposedly tutored you even present. Understand how difficult you’re making this, boy?”

“I know,” I said, “but, what exactly is stopping you from registering me? This is a Mage Guild, for those who practice magic, no?”

“Yes, exactly, those who practice magic! Not bored children lugging around objects whose value they don’t even know! Now, give me a reason to he– huh?”

Once more, I ignored his ranting, opting to respond by action instead of words. However, this time, I conjured balls of ice around me, aided by the staff, which made the spell more mana-efficient. The man stared in wonder, his eyes focused on the floating ice around me. I glanced back quickly, hearing an audible gasp from someone behind me. I found the source, a young woman – no, a girl? – with bright, strawberry-blonde hair, staring back at me with wonder. My eyes couldn’t help but wander to her canine-like ears protruding from the top of her head.

“I-ice magic…” the man said in astonishment.

“Exactly,” I answered, looking back at him, “I happen to be one who practices magic, and so by that definition, I should be welcome in the Mage Guild’s ranks. Despite appearing as a ‘shameless thief’ in your eyes, right?” With a wave of my staff, the ice melted into floating balls of water before dematerializing into mana, flowing back into me.

“A-and spell r-reversal, was that? Goodness…” With another series of coughs, he readjusted himself in his chair. “Then, excuse my behavior today. You are correct, you should be welcome within our ranks.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Great! Could I register today, then?” I asked. Internally, I shouted cries of joy, excited at the possibility that, perhaps, today wasn’t a total waste of time.

“Of course, milord, could you wait a moment?” He bent down, reaching under his desk, to pull out a reflective crystal ball with a platinum-and-gold stand to accompany it, setting it on the desk between us. “Please, go ahead… or do you not understand what I mean, perhaps?”

Seeing the crystal ball, a memory from years ago poked out. When I had started learning magic from my mother, she initially tested my elemental affinity using a crystal ball similar to the one before me. Though it wasn’t quite as large and ornate as the one before me.

“I understand well enough,” I said. I extended my open right hand towards it, though not making contact. In a moment of concentration, I imagined pure magical energy, swirling within me, leaving my fingertips. And a moment later, the crystal ball began glowing, shining with four colors simultaneously, split into four quarters.

A bright, red, fiery radiance, signifying an affinity for fire.

A brown, topaz-like light, less bold than the red, but unyielding in its richness, signifying another affinity, this time for earth.

A deep, blue brilliance, comparable to the oceans, signifying yet another affinity, respectively for water.

And a mild luminescence for the last quarter, with a green-like twinge, signifying an affinity for air.

These four quarters swirled and flowed continuously within the crystal ball endlessly as my mana continued flowing into it.

“What in the name of?” the man gasped. “Could you stop for a moment?” Following his words, I retracted my hand and the shining of the crystal ball ceased, the distorted reflection of my face and the room around me becoming visible on it once more. Hastily, he extended his own hand towards it and closed his eyes. The crystal ball then began glowing with a brown-yellowish light, the color representing earth. “It cannot be broken, then. Could you try again, please?” he asked, putting his hand away.

I tried again, and it glowed much like before: four distinct radiances, coexisting with one another.

“Goodness, affinities for all of the four common elements… you’ve taught this old man a lesson.” A smile, though subtle, had finally crept to his face. “How foolish have I been, denying you this whole time?”

“I’ll be polite enough to not answer that question if we can just go ahead with registration,” I said.

“Of course, of course,” he answered as he pulled a couple sheets of parchment from the cabinet next to him. “For such a promising young mage before me, then, of course, feeless registration should be expected… and a quick apology on my behalf for some of the rudeness I exhibited earlier,” he said while gathering his materials.

“Not a problem at all,” I responded, anxious to begin.

“Perhaps, you’re looking to get into a good academy? The academy here would certainly make for a good place to further your knowledge and build up your skills. With a candidate like you, the Mage Guild might be willing to help with enrollment… Ah, here it is!” He took a piece of parchment and set it in front of me.

“Maybe, in the future, that offer might be enticing,” I said. “But currently, I’m interested in being an adventurer before all else, and I was hoping that being in the Mage Guild could help with registering as an adventurer here.”

“An adventurer… Not my first recommendation, but there have been many legendary mages who made their names in their youths not as scholars but as adventurers,” he said sincerely, his tone finally friendly, “so, I understand the desire. Meet those petty paperpushers in the Adventurer Guild, eh? The city’s been strict about who can and who can’t register for various reasons. Perhaps, later, we can work out something for you.”

Excitedly, I turned behind towards Shara and gave her a thumbs-up. Finally, I had begun to see a path to getting back on our planned track.

“Great, so how do we start?” I said, looking at the paper before me.

“I’ll fill it out for you, actually,” he said. “First, your race? You don’t seem human… Are you one of the fae or of fae blood, perhaps? That may explain your proficiency for magic as well as the four-fold affinity.”

“No, I’m actually a half-demon.”

The man’s mouth snapped shut. The almost-friendly smile he wore flattened out, his eyes widened, and his fingers dropped the quill he was holding.

“…Sorry?” He leaned in closer, as if he hadn’t heard.

Uh-oh. I knew things were going too smoothly.

“A half-demon,” I said slowly.

“And y-you used magic just earlier?” he said, his voice trembling. “U-unbelievable. L-leave. Now!”

“Wait, what?”

“Get the hell out of here! We don’t take users of demonic magic!” he yelled. He was flushed with visible anger, but another emotion jumped out to me, more pronouncedly. Fear. The uncertain look in his eyes, the erratic twitching of his lips, the way he trembled while pointing at the door, it told of a fear of the boy before him, of me.

“No, you’re misunderstanding, I’m not using–”

“LEAVE! NOT ANOTHER WORD!” His shouts resounded through the hall, echoing. Before I could find a response, someone else had gone up to the desk to interrupt our exchange.

“Excuse me? Alfred, you’re kidding, right?” I looked to my side to see who it was: the red-headed girl from before, who had stared at my ice magic in wonder. “Hear him out, that wasn’t demonic magic, it was human magic!”

“Tch, leave miss Sumako, this has nothing to do with you, you don’t understand!” he screamed at the newcomer.

“Are you blind? He’s a half-demon, not a demon. And anyone who’s worth their weight as a mage can recognize that that magic he used wasn’t demonic,” she exclaimed, slamming the desk hard.

“Hmm, you really believe you’re as smart as you think you are, huh? Enough from you. And you,” he growled, meeting my eyes, “leave! Leave before we have to force you out!”

“Ugh! Why do you have to make yourself so difficult!” the girl retorted.

Not deigning to attempt to defuse his hostility, I turned away from him to look at the one who had attempted to help me.

“Doesn’t look like it’ll work out… but thanks for helping out, uh, Sumako, was it?” I remarked while meeting her eyes.

“Yep, that’s the name. And no problem at all,” she responded, her annoyed scowl momentarily dropping, “just wish I could’ve actually helped… and that this old man would listen!” she said, kicking the side of the desk before walking away.

“Hey, don't do that! And demon, what are you loitering there for? Leave!” the man continued.

Without missing a beat, I walked towards the doors leading out, while gesturing at Shara with a thumbs-down.

***

“How frustrating…” Shara said as we stood in front of the facade of the Mage Guild. We watched a crowd of people rushing into the cathedral at the center of the square, whose bells were ringing out a melody. “Could you have been successful if you avoided telling the truth, I wonder?”

“No, sooner or later, I think they would have found out. And lying would definitely not please them at all,” I said. “To be honest, I had a feeling things were going too well.”

“But it was strange though, no?” Shara pondered, “Why did he refuse to hear you out nor the other girl?”

“Such irrational fear? No, I don’t think it’s strange at all,” I responded. “In fact, I’d been expecting that sort of reaction all day now. A demon using magic remains, after all these years, something to fear. Though he was in the wrong, I can’t say I don’t understand his reaction.”

“Hmph. That analysis is all well and good,” she said, poking at my forehead, “but what of now? Is it time to ‘break the rules’ as you said?”

“Personally, I don’t see any other viable choice. If we don’t sell these monster parts somewhere, we’ll have no choice but to camp outside the city and gather our own food,” I said, gesturing at our pack.

“Please, by any means, I wish for another outcome!” Shara begged.

“I know… but…” My words trailed off.

“Excuse me? Do you mind?”

“Huh?” Someone had gone up to the two of us. It was a remarkably tall woman with short blonde hair, a worn cloak over her. Her equipment of daggers, throwing knives, and a quiver of arrows, visible on the belts over her torso and at her hip, as well as her boots screamed “adventurer.”

“Hello, I couldn’t help but hear your words. You two tried to register at the Adventurer Guild, right?” she asked, to which I nodded cautiously. “And the Mage Guild was no good as well, right? Ah, don’t worry, I wasn’t intending to follow you two,” she continued. I glanced furtively over to Shara, who nodded to confirm the truth in the woman’s words. “You two are interested in selling monster parts, right? In ‘breaking the rules’ as you said. May I suggest something that may be beneficial?”