Chapter 3

    The Cursed Furnace 2

    The sun had risen, and the appointed time had arrived…

    Uncle George, whom Ceren mentioned, was a kind-hearted, plump man who was always neatly dressed. Only he had no wife, which sometimes made him feel lonely. On good days, he would buy sweets for the children who came to play in the garden opposite his shop. Sometimes, when those children got hurt from falls or fights, he would use medicine from his shop to treat them without charge. Because of his generous nature, he was well-known to many people, attracting visitors all the time. Even people from the palace or the esteemed teachers of Arthuria knew him as well. They often came to visit his shop to purchase ingredients for potion brewing or to put their potions for sale.

    Uncle George's shop was there across the street. Las sat down staring absent-mindedly at the orderly arranged potion in the shop. Various colors of both liquid and pill potions are stored in clear glass tubes lined up neatly. Each bottle was uniquely labeled with detailed information. The polished wooden floor was as reflective as the spotless white ceiling, devoid of any dust or marks.

    Uncle George was welcoming a customer who appeared to be from the palace, they dressed extravagantly and came early in the morning.

    It was usual for people of this class to come at times when no one else was around, which means they did not need to mingle with those of lower status. After shopping for a while, they then left. One person particularly caught his eye—a young girl with light blue hair and delicate features, probably around his age.— She was surrounded by people who seemed to be knights and nobles, and a woman in a black cloak covering her face might be someone important, perhaps an apothecary. Given the direction they were headed towards, the end of the road stood a large wooden gate and a white wall, with a spired building visible in the distance, the Arthuria Academy…

    He had never seen what was inside, so he watched curiously, hoping to catch a glimpse of the atmosphere. Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps approached from behind, drawing his attention back.

    "Are you the kid named Las?" The newcomer was a young man in his early twenties, with dark blue hair and a serious expression. Dressed in an apothecary's robe, the blue stripe on his shoulder indicated his water element, a golden lion brooch signified his knight-level power, and the two dragons embracing a pill on his left chest, along with the belt buckle's emblem, were the well-recognized symbols of Arthuria.

    This man was a trainer…

    Las nodded after scrutinizing him for a moment.

    "Yes, that's me."

    The other sighed wearily.

    "I'm Branford, a Water element instructor at Arthuria, assigned by Sir Ceren to oversee your training.." the young man said, waving his hand dismissively. Just from that first interaction, Las could feel the unfriendliness. This man must be aware of his elemental level, hence the cold and scornful look, much like those he encountered during yesterday's event. However, what surprised him was not the attitude but the fact that Ceren, his friend, had the authority to directly command an instructor from Arthuria to teach him. This was even more astonishing.

    "What about Ceren?" Las inquired, not seeing his friend who had promised to meet him here.

    "Sir Ceren isn't as free as you. Come on, follow me, hurry up and don’t waste my time..." Branford said, turning and gesturing for Las to follow, then added sternly, "Also, don't presume that you are at the same level as Sir Ceren. Friendship is a thing of the past. Sir Ceren is now on the path to becoming a monarch, not on the dirt roads of commoners like you."

    Those words were an insult, but Las also acknowledged the harsh truth. In this kingdom, reaching the age of ten was a significant milestone that marked their social classes. It was only because of Ceren’s persuasion that someone of such high rank agreed to spare their time for him. Considering this, he decided to overlook his harsh behaviors.

    Branford led him through the grand entrance of Arthuria straight away. The guards who recognized Branford, opened the gates without even an entry check. Though they glanced at Las with curiosity, they dared not object. The young man adjusted his cloak slightly, grumbling about having to bring along a follower, but complied with the orders.

    At the wide-open gate, the pathway lined with white stones led straight to the main building. The open fields on either side had some grass grown here and there. But upon closer inspection, Las was astounded to find that they were not ordinary grass but purposely grown plants. Even the potted plants, everything was a magical plant he had only seen in his grandmother's books.

    "The ones over there are just the students' products. The real good stuff is kept in a separate restricted room at the back." Branford explained nonchalantly as he noticed Las's interest, "To be honest, just getting to see the external garden is already a blessing. Frankly, I don't understand why I have to teach someone of such a low level as you. What Sir Ceren sees in someone like you is beyond my understanding." He couldn't resist throwing in a jab, but Las pretended not to hear, turning a deaf ear.

    "Sir Branford, where are we heading?" Las asked innocently as the other led him away from the main road toward the building with densely overgrown vines plants in front. Behind The building was all covered in vine roots that its true color was indiscernible.

    Branford led the way through the jungle without answering, seemingly unfazed. As they approached, Las could see the details more clearly. The wooden door was decrepit, covered with thick dust.

    "Alright... let's start then." Branford said, stroking his chin before pointing to the left wall. Following his finger, Las saw a wooden bucket and a mop.

    "Don't tell me you want me to... clean this place?"

    Branford clapped his hands together.

    "Smart one!"

    Las's face fell instantly.

    "You're not going to teach me but have me clean instead!?"

    Las protested loudly, but for his inner thoughts, if this was training, he could just as well have trained at home. Why did he have to come all the way here for this?

    Branford folded his arms and scowled at Las's defiance.

    "The best training is to keep practicing and working. Given your level, you'd struggle even with cleaning. Before moving on to the next practice, you should follow my instructions to enhance your water skills. And if you're not willing to do it, then get out of my sight right now."

    Being insulted like this, Las was furious all day long, but he would not easily give up like a loser.

    He reluctantly picked up the mop, ignoring the wooden bucket beside it. What use was it when there was no water source nearby?

    "I hope you know how to use magic." Branford taunted.

    "I can certainly manage the water stream." Las retorted firmly, ready to prove himself. He extended his left hand, closed his eyes to concentrate, and began to condense the surrounding air into a ball of water above his palm. Smiling triumphantly at his success, he boasted,

    "How was that?"

    Instead of being impressed, Branford burst into uncontrollable laughter, stepping back and waving dismissively.

    "Good luck with that. I'll check back in the evening to see how 'splendid' your work is." he said, leaving Las standing with the mop, blinking in disbelief, almost wishing he knew a curse spell or two. Las decided he'd visit the bookstore later and find himself a couple of water curses to learn.

    His first day of using magic to clean had taught him that it wasn't as easy as he thought. Concentrating on using magic while moving forward was quite tricky, and though it was fun to clean without running around fetching water, he quickly grew tired. The water, which should have been under his control, became almost unmanageable, making everything a mess. He had to step out for a break, only to find himself needing another one shortly after...

    In the evening, Branford returned to find the area turned into a complete mess from the muddy water and laughed mockingly, visibly enjoying Las's failure. Las began to wonder what other elementalists had to do as a training. He did put all his efforts just to be mocked by this kind of person.

    On his way home, Las reflected on his day and realized that once focus and concentration were lost, regaining them was incredibly hard. He understood his father's training methods for the first time and felt even guiltier when he remembered how often he had troubled his father.

    But in every cloud, there's a silver lining. Upon returning home, he discovered that his grandmother and father had managed to figure out how to use the fire enhancing pill. It required the user to be at least at the Intermediate tier, level five. Moreover, water was a key component in all medicines. Therefore, he could absorb the pill's power by diluting it with water. Even though some of the pill's power might be lost in the process, it was still more worthwhile than selling it away. Las wasn't sure of the pill's exact value since he was kept out of the adult conversations for being "too young" but he could gauge its worth from their reactions.

    After that day, Branford had him cleaned various places, claiming that each location had its unique and that he needed to learn to adapt and control his abilities accordingly. After several attempts, Las began to truly gain better control over his powers, extending his concentration from mere minutes to hours.

    Nearly a week had passed, and now he could continuously control his water element for two to three hours without needing a break. However, in terms of elemental level, Las couldn't feel any significant improvement from before. The progress was so slow that he wanted to confront Branford for a clear explanation. But something special for Las overshadowed everything else today. It was the first time Branford allowed Las into the main building of Arthuria, not as a student, but a cleaner. Las wasn't sure whether he should feel proud or not.

    While waiting for Branford in a corner of the room, Las took the opportunity to practice his concentration as to kill time. Suddenly, a noisy voice echoed from the hallway hidden beneath the grand staircase, It was a harsh statement of a chubby figure.

    "I have nothing to say to weak newbies like you. Go seek advice elsewhere."

    The voice was familiar enough for Las to immediately recognize... it was the obnoxious Belz. When Belz saw Las, he blinked in surprise.

    "Why is a farmer like you here?"

    Despite being alone without any friends due to his foul mouth, Belz still managed to keep his character. Las thought that his arrogance and contempt would never change, especially now that he possessed the fire element, likely making him even more haughty.

    "Ah, Ceren must be doing something nonsensical again."

    Even with Las's silence, Belz continued to mock. He sure had a unique ability to drive everyone away. However, Las wasn't intimidated, especially since he was already fed up. Why would he let the merchant’s son keep on belittling him??

    "Ha, you merchant, how could someone like you even dare to speak of Ceren like that behind his back?"

    Las intentionally provoked him, but unexpectedly, Belz burst into laughter.

    "I'd say the same to his face. I possess a fire element, only slightly less powerful than him. And it wouldn't make any difference with or without that pathetic light element."

    Las was astonished, not expecting Belz to possess such twisted logic and self-delusion. Light wasn’t just any element, it was one of the two rarest, and it was truly powerful. For Belz to move up from level 3 to 7, even if Ceren did nothing for a few months or even a year, it would be hard for Belz to catch up. Just thinking about it made Las laugh out loud, causing Belz to glare back with a flash of frustration in his eyes.

    "That mindset suits you well, being so delusional. I might as well take you as a role model." Las said while laughing.

    "Oh, so the farmer finally decides to follow me, good." Belz grinned.

    "Nonsense! How did you even interpret it that way?" Las got trolled once again, his expression instantly turning sour. The sound of a door opening from the second floor made them both look up, following the red carpet was a group of stern-faced individuals. Las recognized two people among them.

    Just seeing Ceren surrounded by a group of teachers of every element, Belz grumbled under his breath. Ceren saw them and gave a faint smile, his expression was still the same as before He then turned to Branford, and even without hearing, Las knew he was entrusting Branford to take good care of him.

    As soon as Branford called Las down the red carpet, his expression seemed displeased, though he had never been satisfied with anything since they met.

    "I'll leave first. Don't just stare at Ceren. One day, I might just stab you in the back with a water dagger." Las said, hoisting the mop over his shoulder and quickly following Branford, not letting Belz say another word.

    "What's this? Did he really become a palace cleaner, just as I said?" Belz mumbled to himself, confused.

    "What were you talking to Las about?" Ceren asked. After seeing Las leave, he then blocked Belz's path and prevented him from leaving easily.

    "Why should I tell you? And what if I wanted to chase him away from here?" Belz responded indifferently. Ceren grabbed Belz's collar.

    "If you don't stop picking on Las, I won't let you off."

    "Oh, scary, I'm so frightened, my dear kind brother."

    Clearly, Belz's words and actions were for trolling. Ceren's hands trembled with rage but couldn't do much in the school's main hall, where fighting was strictly forbidden. That was why Belz dared to provoke to this extent.

    "I hate people like you the most." Ceren released Belz's collar, his gaze still fierce.

    "Special people deserve special privileges, it's only natural." Belz shrugged.

    "So you have no empathy for those who are less fortunate?" Ceren countered, but Belz just chuckled, meeting Ceren's gaze directly.

    "Finally, you admitted that you also look down on others." Belz's words left Ceren speechless. Seeing Ceren like this, Belz then continued, "well does it hit home? can't help it, I was raised by a merchant only thinking of profit, not raised by the palace to become an idealist like you, brother."

    With those words, Belz brushed past Ceren, whose status was higher than him, and walked away easily, leaving Ceren standing alone in the vast hall.