The most unfortunate bear on the Oran Continent had almost fully recovered. Just as it was about to go to the creek at the edge of the forest to catch a few fish, a man in a black wizard's robe suddenly appeared before it. The man's face was unclear, and the bear suddenly found itself unable to move, watching in terror as the man slowly approached: "Let me take a look..."

Kenny Village

Kenny Village had welcomed the most powerful wizard in its history: Elder Omono, along with Yoo. The villagers had never seen a magical flying vessel like the "Parrot." Some even wondered why a boat could fly in the sky. After the "Parrot" landed on the spacious square in front of the church, villagers gathered around to investigate. However, a few knights from the church suddenly emerged, shouting at the crowd: "No unauthorized people are allowed here. This is not open for viewing."

Indeed, most commoners had little exposure to magic in their lifetimes. Many never even traveled far from their villages. Although this village was close to a port and had thriving commerce, the villagers only occasionally heard about wizards from passing merchants. They didn’t really understand the nature of such high-status individuals.

Of course, once Elder Omono and Yoo disembarked from the flying vessel, many villagers saw them and gasped in awe: "People really can sit in a flying ship!"

Archbishop Ken, who had already learned the precise arrival time of Elder Omono and Yoo via the church's communication orb, immediately approached the moment they landed. Bowing deeply, he said, "Honorable Elder Omono and Wizard Yoo, welcome to our village. I am Archbishop Ken of Kenny Village, and I am the one who reported the information to the Magic Guild."

Omono, with an authoritative gaze, returned the gesture: "Greetings, Archbishop Ken. I am Omono, Head of the Magic Guild's Intelligence Department." He then gestured toward Yoo: "This is Intermediate Wizard Yoo, my assistant and a member of the Intelligence Department."

Yoo returned the greeting and exchanged a few polite words with Ken. Afterward, Archbishop Ken led them toward the archbishop's quarters.

Once the three were seated, Archbishop Ken casually asked, "Besides verifying the report, is there any other reason for your visit, Elder Omono?"

Omono gave Yoo a glance. Yoo immediately understood, walked to the door, and checked outside to ensure no one could overhear their conversation. After confirming the coast was clear, he gently closed the door.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Once the door was shut, Omono spoke gravely, "Yes, Archbishop Ken. The information you provided is of the highest level of importance to the Magic Guild. That’s why we’ve come personally to confirm it, and we seek further details."

"Should I summon the person who provided the information?"

"You mean the bard, Barok?"

"Yes, that's him."

"Please have him come and report as soon as possible," Omono said as he reclined a bit more comfortably on the sofa. After a pause, he added, "And there's no need for anyone else to know."

"Not even the village head?" Ken asked as he was about to send word.

"Not necessary," Omono replied, glancing at Yoo, who straightened up, sitting like a rigid board. "Ordinary people don’t need to know about magic."

"Understood, my lord." Archbishop Ken then ordered the guards outside to fetch Barok from the inn.

The room fell silent. Omono crossed one leg over the other and sank deeper into the sofa, lightly tapping his fingers on his knee as if deep in thought. Yoo, seeing that Omono wasn’t speaking, also remained silent. The archbishop, unsure of what to say, sat quietly as well, knowing that despite being a high-ranking village official, he had little contact with the Magic Guild. If not for the importance of this information, it would likely have been a long time before he had dealings with such high-level wizards.

Ash Town

"Clank, clank..."

A long chain was nailed to the wall, five meters above the ground, with rings spaced at intervals. Ropes attached to the rings were tethered to groups of miners. The miners stood on platforms built along the wall, straining as they swung their pickaxes toward the magical stone vein. Red stones cracked and fell to the ground. Workers below, carrying metal baskets, used tongs to pick up the shattered red stones and placed them into their baskets. Once nearly full, the baskets were set beside the minecart tracks, waiting for workers to load them onto carts for transport out of the mine. Only during this brief pause could the workers relieve their strained backs.

The Fanch Mine was one of the larger fire magic stone veins near Ash Town. After the president of the Magic Guild invented magical tools, the kingdom began searching for mana stone veins across the land. Ash Town had not initially been known for its resources, but fifteen years ago, a once dormant volcano near the town suddenly erupted. The violent eruption triggered a massive earthquake, and burning volcanic rocks rained down, devastating the town. Many buildings were destroyed, and numerous residents perished in the inferno. The town was obliterated almost instantly.

Subsequently, the Magic Guild dispatched wizards to investigate. They discovered several vast veins of fire magic stones beneath the volcano. Initially, there were no plans to rebuild the town, but due to the ongoing mining operations, the town gradually recovered. Though the town was not rebuilt on its original site, the Magic Guild's wizards assured the safety of the new location, even in the event of another eruption. Furthermore, with the continuous mining of the veins, the volcano’s energy source had been diminished, and it hadn’t erupted again in the twenty years since.

After its reconstruction, the town was named Ash Town by King Hunt XVI, in memory of the town destroyed by the volcanic eruption and symbolizing rebirth from the ashes.

Due to the town’s rich veins, it annually produced valuable minerals for the Magic Guild and the kingdom. Because of its importance, both the mayor and the archbishop of Ash Town were wizards.

At that moment, Mayor Zoe and Archbishop Manpha were in the office discussing mining plans when a man suddenly burst in, gasping for breath. "Something terrible... terrible, my lord. Two... two dragons are flying toward us!" His fear was palpable.

"What? Dragons? Where?" Both Zoe and Manpha jumped up in alarm.

(Continued...)