The Kingdom of Inpal is the most powerful human kingdom on the continent of Oran, and it is also one of the few kingdoms to have stood for over 2,000 years without falling. The strength of the kingdom lies not only in its formidable human army but also in the immense power of the Mage Guild, which serves as a significant deterrent. The guild boasts over 5,000 registered mages, making it a force to be reckoned with on the continent.
Not everyone is suited to learn or master magic; for ordinary people, mages are almost seen as lofty rulers. Inpal was one of the earliest kingdoms to establish and deliberately cultivate mages. In its early days, when society was still primitive, the first King of Inpal, Hunt I, discovered the mysteries of magic. Historical records even suggest that Hunt I himself was a mage, though his talents were limited, preventing him from achieving high ranks in magic. However, his understanding and long-term vision for magic were unmatched by any other nation.
The discovery and training of mages are long and arduous processes. Not everyone possesses the natural "affinity" for magic, which is an innate quality with no clear cause. Interestingly, the children of mages do not necessarily inherit this "affinity." In fact, many times, the children of mages have weaker "affinity" and talent than their parents. Conversely, children from non-mage families occasionally exhibit strong magical "affinity" and exceptional talent.
Starting with King Hunt IV, the kingdom heavily invested in the Mage Guild. Back then, the guild consisted of only about 40 members, the ancestors of the over 5,000 mages it boasts today. The guild scoured the kingdom for young people with "affinity," testing them and sending those with potential to the Mage Academy for training.
"Affinity" is essentially the ability to sense and manipulate magical elements, while "talent" refers to the capacity for magical power and one's potential for future achievements. Some people remain low-level mages their entire lives, while others graduate from the academy and, after just a year of practice, rapidly rise to become mid-level or even high-level mages. The current president of the Mage Guild, Angla, is considered a once-in-a-generation prodigy, both in terms of "affinity" and "talent." At the age of 12, he demonstrated the ability to sense water, fire, and earth elements. His deep understanding of magic caught the attention of Luna, the then-President of the Mage Guild, who took him as her last disciple. After a year as an apprentice mage, Angla mastered four magical elements and was quickly promoted to elder mage, making him the youngest elder mage in history. Luna, aware of Angla's extraordinary talent, made it clear that Angla was to succeed her as President upon her passing.
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Angla was more suited for research work, never wasting his potential. In addition to possessing tremendous magical ability, he contributed extensively to the guild and the academy, developing numerous new spells. His dedication earned him the position of professor at the academy, later rising to head of the magic department, vice dean, and eventually dean. During his tenure as dean, he also established two new Mage Academies, cementing his status in the Mage Guild.
All of this unfolded under Luna’s watch, and by the time of her passing, Angla’s reputation and abilities were already unparalleled. However, his ascension to President was far from smooth; it came amid a crisis.
The crisis began when King Hunt XIII passed away, and the Kingdom of Gully suddenly declared itself the Gully Empire. The newly crowned Emperor Meman X claimed the imperial throne and declared war on Inpal. This was clearly a premeditated war, as Meman led his armies straight into Inpal. At the onset of the war, Gully’s troops advanced effortlessly, and though Inpal's territories mounted some resistance, it proved ineffective. Soon, the Gully Empire’s forces were at the gates of Baka, Inpal's capital.
As Gully’s forces prepared for the final assault, Luna led Angla and other members of the Mage Guild into battle, forming a magical legion that decisively defeated Gully’s army. After suffering over 50% casualties, Gully’s forces retreated in disarray. However, due to their use of brutal "blitzkrieg" and "massacre tactics," the battlefield resembled a hellscape, and although Inpal won the war, it was a pyrrhic victory. The Mage Guild sustained minimal losses, but the civilians and territorial troops were slaughtered en masse. As a result, Inpal has since pursued a policy of recovery and rebuilding.
This conflict between the Mage Guild and traditional military forces became known as the "Ig Battle." Emperor Meman realized the power of mages and the formidable nature of Inpal. He withdrew within his empire’s borders and even ceded a portion of land to create a buffer zone between the two nations.
Luna, having expended all her strength in the battle, passed away shortly after. Angla, having displayed power and leadership equal to Luna's, was unanimously recognized as her successor. Given his previous achievements and contributions, he was named the youngest and most powerful President in the history of the Mage Guild.
Though Angla was immensely capable, he soon found the daily responsibilities of the President tedious. After much reflection, he established a comprehensive management system for the guild and delegated many of his duties to newly appointed vice presidents. He then devoted himself entirely to deeper magical research.
Despite his new focus, Angla remained preoccupied with the legendary sorcerer Rang. Though Rang had become little more than a myth, with only scattered references in ancient texts, Angla believed that Rang had transcended the concept of mages. After stepping down from his guild duties, Angla began a full-time quest to find Rang, traveling across the continent in search of any trace of him.
After fifteen years, Angla finally encountered Rang at the edge of the Oran continent, just as Rang was parting ways with the dragon couple Yin and Yang. Angla only saw them briefly before they each went their separate ways, with Rang disappearing into the sky faster than Angla could follow, even with magic.
Undeterred, Angla continued his search for Rang, convinced there were many extraordinary mysteries he had yet to uncover. He tasked the Mage Guild with keeping an eye out for any information on Rang, assigning it the highest classification—“Red.”
(To be continued)