Boom, boom, boom, a heavy knocking resounded through the thick wooden door.
Inside the small hut, Nidhogg, sleeping under a worn quilt, was jolted awake. The numbing cold beneath his feet made him gasp, but he dared not delay. "Coming!" he shouted.
Ignoring his already numb feet, Nidhogg swiftly donned his shabby clothes, grabbed the leather coat that doubled as a second blanket, and opened the door.
The winter wind, laden with ice shards, made Nidhogg shiver.
Outside, old Nero sat hunched on a rickety wooden cart, one hand gripping a whip, the other a pipe he puffed on. The cart left tracks on the bumpy, snow-covered ground.
"Hurry up, the road is bad today. If we're late, we'll get a scolding," old Nero muttered, taking a deep drag from his pipe.
"Got it," Nidhogg replied, closing the door. He quickly climbed into the cart, used to this routine. Ever since he started working with Uncle Ham on this steady job, he heard old Nero's grumbling every day.
Ham, not one for many words, took a last puff on his pipe before giving the horse a sharp whip. The old horse let out a low grunt and continued pulling the cart through the uneven snowy path.
Leaning against the rickety cart's edge, Nidhogg cast a weary glance at the gloom-draped sky and let his eyelids fall, seeking solace in a fleeting nap. From past experience, he knew that on snowy days like this, the old cart would take at least half an hourglass to reach the viscount's manor in the city, just as dawn broke.
Leaning on the cart, Nidhogg smelled the familiar scent of dry tobacco, feeling deep gratitude toward old Nero.
Nidhogg's earliest memory was of a winter with heavy snowfall; everything before that was a blank, as if he had appeared out of nowhere in this world. Since then, he had often wandered with a group of orphans in Bissel City, living off scraps until one day when the childless old Ham saw Nidhogg's cleverness. Thinking of his lack of heirs, he took Nidhogg in.
Old Nero chuckled, "When I die, these two huts and the old horse will be yours."
Truthfully, these country huts and the old cart weren't worth much, yet Nidhogg was filled with gratitude towards old Nero, viewing him as a second father.
As for the job that sustained old Nero and Nidhogg, it involved reaching the viscount's manor in the city each morning before dawn. After the nobles' overnight revelries ended, they had to clean up the remnants of the festivities and dispose of the trash outside the city before purchasing supplies for the next night's celebrations on the viscount's estate.
This round trip took up most of the day.
Half an hourglass later, the ride became smoother as they hit the paved stone roads.
Without needing any reminder from old Nero, the dozing Nidhogg naturally woke up, knowing they had arrived in Bissel City and were near the viscount's manor. He quickly brushed off the snow from his body to tidy up his appearance.
Even though the noble lords who partied all night would have mostly left by the time they arrived, and those who hadn't wouldn't spare a glance at two lowly servants, keeping up appearances was useless. Nevertheless, the viscount's old butler was a tough character, always making things difficult for servants like Nidhogg to squeeze out some bribes. He had previously extorted silver coins from old Nero on the pretense of poor grooming.
At the manor's gate, two tall and tired guards scanned old Nero and Nidhogg, having grown familiar over the years, and ignored them.
Old Nero smiled politely, while Nidhogg jumped off the cart, lowered his head, and hurried into the viscount's manor, heading straight for the opulent hall that required thorough cleaning every day.
Both Nidhogg and old Nero felt that something was off today. At the hall's entrance, the old butler glared at them with his fierce triangular eyes, then hurried over.
"Stand here quietly, block your ears, and close your eyes," the butler hissed.
"Yes, sir," Nidhogg and old Nero responded promptly.
Inside the grand hall came muffled sounds of a commotion, hard to discern but clearly a girl's voice shouting angrily.
Instinctively, Nidhogg and old Nero sensed this was a matter involving someone important.
Nearly an hourglass later, as dawn fully broke, Nidhogg and old Nero stamped their feet against the cold, shivering.
The old butler, stationed at the hall's entrance, walked over with a sullen face, hissing, "If you can't stand the cold, don't bother coming tomorrow."
Nidhogg and old Nero's faces changed. After a few moments of hesitation, old Nero pulled a silver coin from his ragged clothes, tucked it into the butler's hand, and repeatedly smiled, "We can stand it, we can."
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"Hmph," the butler snorted, pocketing the coin with practiced ease, ignoring them, and waited anxiously at the hall entrance, peeking inside occasionally.
Nidhogg mumbled under his breath, "Damn, he just took a bribe from us recently, and now this again!"
"Ah, let it go, endure it. Many would kill for this job—we’d be out in a heartbeat if the butler could have his way," old Nero sighed.
Age had made him more accepting, no longer having the fiery temperament of youth.
Just then, a girl in luxurious noble attire rushed out of the hall, her delicate face streaked with tears. She stopped beside Nidhogg and old Nero, shouting back into the hall.
"I won't go to that Lilith Cottage Wizard Academy, nor will I become a wizard!"
With that, the girl pulled out a book and threw it furiously before storming out of the manor.
"Outrageous! Outrageous! What are you two standing around for? Go after her!" a rotund noble yelled, his face flushed with anger, at two armored knights.
What shocked Nidhogg was seeing the normally aloof viscount awkwardly trying to placate the corpulent noble, whispering something appeasing.
"Hmph, what does she know? Giving up on the wizard I spent so much to hire for a little lover? Doesn't she understand, in six months, it'll be..." the viscount trailed behind, hurriedly leaving the manor with the noble, not sparing Nidhogg and old Nero a glance.
Even the old butler and the guards trotted after them, disappearing into the snowy landscape.
In a blink, the courtyard fell silent and deserted.
Seeing no one around, Nidhogg instinctively reached for the book on the ground, only to have old Nero smack his hand with a pipe, cautioning, "Are you crazy?"
Nidhogg winced in pain and whispered, "It should be fine, right? If anyone asks, we'll say we threw it out while cleaning. After all, that noble lady just tossed it there."
Old Nero considered, then seeing they were indeed alone, nodded in reluctant agreement.
Nidhogg tucked the book into his clothes and nonchalantly followed old Nero to clean up the hall. After the nobles' revelries, a large amount of trash was left to be loaded onto the cart.
No one inquired about the book's whereabouts before they left, and Nidhogg soon forgot about it. After all, often among trash were treasures the nobles discarded that servants cherished.
Creaking, the cart loaded with garbage slowly left Bissel City.
Sitting atop the cart full of trash, Nidhogg no longer felt sleepy. Suddenly curious, he retrieved the book he'd picked up.
Frowning, Nidhogg, like most servants working for nobles, didn't know how to read. But old Nero, having been an apprentice accountant in his youth, had learned to read and taught Nidhogg over the years.
The book's cover bore unfamiliar words not often used in daily life, which took Nidhogg some time to decipher.
"Guide to Nasal Adaptation and Scent Atlas"? What's this?" Nidhogg muttered, thinking it might be a minstrel's novel popular among noble ladies and gentlemen, only to find it a peculiarly titled book.
Wait!
Nidhogg's eyes widened in disbelief at a sudden realization.
Could this be a book on mystical magic recorded by a wizard?
Wizards were a topic only nobles dared to discuss, their existence shrouded in mystery. Common people might never encounter their elusive presence in a lifetime.
To the ordinary folk, wizards wielded mysterious magic, exuding an aura of evil and enigma, often rumored to commit atrocities, like mass slaughter or using humans for sinister experiments.
Yet wizards were revered for their ability to easily vanquish commoners and knights, wielding extraordinary power.
Nidhogg had often fantasized about these mystical and powerful wizards. What secrets allowed them to harness such remarkable abilities, and why couldn't ordinary people?
If he became a wizard, wielding those majestic powers, he wouldn't need to bow to the whims of noble masters anymore.
Who would dare call him a lowly commoner then?
Engrossed in these thoughts, Nidhogg quickly flipped through the "Guide to Nasal Adaptation and Scent Atlas," carefully reading each word, pondering unfamiliar terms, or skipping those he couldn't understand.
Gradually, a sense of awe crept onto Nidhogg's face as a new world unfolded before him!
The so-called scent is the differentiation of air-borne volatile molecules by living creatures' olfactory systems. The most pungent odors dominate half of the discernible smells.
According to the "Scent Atlas," normal humans could identify between 30 and 400 different scents, with some exceptionally gifted individuals discerning about 600.
However, this range paled compared to other creatures!
For instance, the Crying Chick, a creature emitting cries like a human infant, could differentiate at least 6,500 scents based on experiments.
Similarly, the Stench Moth, a fascinating creature relying solely on scavenging odors, could distinguish over 8,200 scents...
The book mentioned that the known creature with the highest scent detection capability was the Cerberus, a formidable beast even wizards feared, capable of identifying any scent a wizard could isolate, totaling 17,852 types.
The Cerberus's olfactory prowess reached an astonishing level!
"Nasal Adaptation," discussed how wizards could enhance their olfactory perfection by modifying their senses akin to certain creatures.
The magical experiments involved numerous peculiar materials and a term repeatedly appearing that Nidhogg couldn't comprehend—cells?
"Nidhogg, Nidhogg!"
Old Nero called twice before Nidhogg snapped out of the book's magical allure, hastily stowing it away to help old Nero dump the garbage from the cart.
After unloading the trash, Nidhogg followed old Nero to purchase supplies from the viscount's estate for the noble's evening feasts.
It was evening by the time they hauled everything back to the viscount's manor, collecting a few copper coins before returning to the countryside. On the journey, Nidhogg remained engrossed in "Guide to Nasal Adaptation and Scent Atlas."
Old Nero glanced back at Nidhogg, sighing, "Child, you've been bewitched by that book today. Is it really that fascinating?"
Nidhogg grinned but didn't elaborate, only harboring a newfound fascination and awe for the mysterious world of wizards.
Are there truly living mountains that move in this world?
Rivers flowing from the sky?
And what about those otherworldly realms?
What is the principle behind wizards wielding powerful magic?
A series of questions flooded Nidhogg's mind, yet there was no one to provide answers.
"Ah, you're turning seventeen next year, right? Hmm, maybe we should remodel the house and find a suitable girl from nearby to marry you. I'd like to see my grandchild before I kick the bucket," old Nero mused.
Nidhogg absentmindedly replied, "You're kidding! You'll live to a hundred, conquering the world isn't even a problem for you."
"Heh..." Old Nero chuckled, amused by Nidhogg's jest, and continued driving the cart along the familiar path.