Bernard, the eldest son of the Lord, and Hansen, his faithful knight, arrived in the city. They sent everyone home and raised the alarm, because they had seen a column of smoke rising into the sky and were sure that a battle had broken out here.
Could the baron's fears have come true? the knight thought. Things are bad enough as they are. Dragging this pampered young lord around with me is one headache all by itself. He sighed heavily, trying to come to terms with his fate.
Meanwhile, Ian was taking a bath, and the smoke was coming from the fire under the tub. The knights were crowded around him, offering to rub his back, when suddenly Bernard and his knight burst into the backyard of the inn, demanding to know what was going on.
Ian calmly told them that they were taking a bath, and the two of them stared in shock. After all, it was not a battle.
Bernard wondered whether they were really bathing right here in the open air. Residents of the empire rarely bathe, only on special occasions — and besides, everything around them was in chaos. There was definitely something behind this. He was the eldest son of the ruler of Riverville, and he had a right to know everything.
He came up to Ian and started waving his fists, demanding a detailed explanation, and the old knight decided to explain the whole thing properly.
The boy threw him a displeased look and asked why he was talking. He had not asked him.
The knight was slightly confused, and answered him. "The thing is, he is a mage."
Bernard was slightly surprised.
For some reason the knight smiled to himself. He's going to do it, isn't he?
After that Bernard put a hand to his chest and pointed his finger at Ian, saying that he was the heir of the Cars family, and he ordered him to get out of that bath immediately and show him due respect.
In this world the nobility have a cultural tradition known as mage baiting. Simply put, it is a custom in which a nobleman provokes a mage. It is a test of his patience. A mage who calmly endures provocation is considered weak, and one who answers with anger is recognised as truly powerful.
Ian understood at once what this boy was going to do, and stated firmly, "I refuse."
Bernard was completely confused at first, and then exclaimed in rage. He said that he refuses. Did he think people like him could go against him?
"Why on earth should I do everything you tell me?" Ian asked in response.
Bernard turned to Sir Hansen and ordered him to get this false magician away from there immediately. The knight took Ian by the arms, trying to pull him out of the vat and calm him down, and Ian was even impressed by his acting.
He decided to play along, and stood up abruptly.
"Did you just call me a false magician?"
His magic came out of him, which frightened the boy. And then Ian raised his hand and commanded the wind to rise. Every object around them immediately began to fly.
Bernard apologised to him and begged him to stop. Now he understood the extent of his power.
Immediately after that the wind calmed down, and Ian stretched with a smile. Will this be enough to stop him bothering me from now on?
But the boy was so frightened that he lay down on the ground and began waving his arms and legs and crying loudly.
Ian cursed. Was Baron Cars really going to execute him?
The next day he was invited to the baron's palace. When he arrived, the baron thanked him for accepting his invitation. He had heard that his son had caused him a great deal of trouble yesterday, and he sincerely wanted to apologise.
Ian replied that everything was fine. Rather, it was he who should apologise for going too far.
"By the way," the baron said, "I heard you had a companion with you. Did you come alone?"
He told him that she had business of her own, so she had stayed at the inn — and thought that there was no need to expose her face once again, which was why he had left her with the knights.
Baron Cars asked the name of his teacher, and when Ian said her name he was surprised, and said that he had heard about the rising star Alletus. She went south, he said.
Ian confirmed it. There is a magic academy there.
The baron asked in surprise, so he was not heading for the principality of Palgar, or Roxan?
He asked why he asked, and the baron told him that there had been quite a lot of unrest there lately. It seemed the principality of Palgar had set its sights on Roxan.
Ian immediately realised that this was a harbinger of war.
The baron asked whether he was also heading south. He replied that he was heading east, in search of a secret.
Baron Cars declared that he would like to present him with a gift. After this the servants brought in a huge chest and set it on the table in front of Ian.
He asked what it was, and the baron told him simply to open it.
He lifted the lid, wondering what was inside, and when he saw a staff lying there he was surprised.
"That staff once belonged to a renowned aeromancer," Baron Cars said. "They say his name was Winstep."
Ian whispered the name in surprise, then picked the staff up, and the baron said that it suited him perfectly.
But Ian was not particularly delighted. It looked like an ordinary staff. He even felt as though he had been handed a prop for a mage cosplay. Still, he liked receiving gifts. He smiled slightly, and the baron told him to consider it a sign of his gratitude for forgiving his son. He hoped he liked the staff.
Ian confirmed that he did and thanked him for the gift, after which he returned to the inn.
When he entered the room he immediately heard Lucy's exclamation, and he ran to her, already thinking that something had happened. She declared that something terrible had happened, grabbed his hand with a worried look, and added that his help was needed in this matter.
She showed him a raven in a cage, and smiled, waiting for his reaction.
The old knight explained that this morning a hunter had caught the bird and was going to eat it, but his sister had stopped him.
"His name is Ian Alletus Raven," she said delightedly, "and this baby is a raven. Well, isn't this fate?"
Ian was speechless. He had genuinely thought that something bad had happened.
She called it fate again, with delight — and then he turned to the hunter and, with a stony expression, apologised for causing them so much trouble. They could eat it.
She called out to him indignantly, and he reminded her that he was the mage here, not her. What kind of nonsense was she talking about?
She clicked her tongue in displeasure, and the hunters thanked him and invited him to dine on the raven with them.
Suddenly the raven called out to Ian and begged him for help.
The two men had already pulled the bird out of the cage, and Ian ran up to them and asked them to wait.