A Sorcerer’s Journey

Three months later, on the Eastern Coral Island.

On a vast grassland, one with flowers covered everywhere. A grassland that rarely had visitors.

“Hahaha, Grimm. Now can you guess how many strawberries I have in my hand? Don’t use sorcery. No cheating. ”

Her voice was sublime in the ears. It was like listening to the singing of a lark.

Walking backward as she faced Grimm, Lefay’s face was glowing with a sweet smile as she extended her fair exquisite fists—all the while they were stepping on the green pasture, with butterflies and hummingbirds buzzing by.

“Caw caw! Master, I think there are three berries in her hand.” Myna smirked as it stood on Lefay’s shoulder.

It was the one who took out the strawberries from the pocket dimension. Yet, it was feeding misinformation to Grimm, trying to disrupt his induction process.

Myna stood on Lefay’s side, using Grimm’s love for Lefay as his advantage to bully him.

However, Grimm seemed to enjoy this a lot.

Grimm grinned as he gazed into Lefay’s smiling crescent eyes and then into Myna’s mischievous full-moon eyes. After a moment’s thought, Grimm answered, “My guess is… you don’t have any strawberries in your hand at all!”

“Caw caw! Yay!” Myna jumped excitedly on Lefay’s shoulder.

“Haha, Grimm you’ve guessed wrong. I’ve got two strawberries over here. Come, Myna. We’ll share the strawberries. You’ll take one and I’ll take one. We’ll watch him drool.” Lefay then took a strawberry and tossed it into her mouth while Myna quickly devoured the other.

Giggling mischievously as she chewed the strawberry in her mouth, Lefay said, “Grimm, it’s your turn to pick some strawberries. It’s our turn to guess. You know, to be fair.”

‘Fair?

How was this fair…

Grimm had only one go to guess the berries in Lefay’s hand; on the other hand, Lefay and Myna each had a turn to guess–so they had two chances.

Still, after seeing the coquettish Lefay before him… all that Grimm could feel was a whirlpool of sweet feelings.

Grimm once thought that he would always be a wise rational sorcerer. Yet now, he realized he was the living example of another sorcerer’s words.

“A sorcerer who’s in love is like a newborn baby.”

And it was true. Grimm was like a kid who only lived for three hundred years—he easily fell for the trap and took out a handful of strawberries with a foolish grin, “Sure, take a guess.”

“Two!” Myna quickly yelled out its answer, like the forever immature stupid bird that it was.

“Hmm, three!” Lefay nervously squealed out her answer.

Then, Grimm slowly opened up his palm. There were three strawberries.

Myna and Lefay jumped excitedly as they grabbed the strawberries from Grimm’s hand. They happily devoured the berries in front of Grimm.

“Now, it’s your turn to guess…”

Thus, they kept on going as they walked. Grimm and Lefay were like a wandering loving married couple. They were enjoying every minute as they felt their heartbeats syncing up as one.

At a small farm.

Grimm had rented the whole place up for a night with the steep price of one silver coin.

Lefay was tightly cuddled in Grimm’s arm as they lay on a mattress, watching millions of stars above in the sky.

Creak creak creak…

Countless insects and bugs were flying and singing under the cloak of night. It was like listening to nature’s symphony.

In the sky, there were several clouds hanging in the air while the crescent moon was hiding behind them. It looked as though the moon was a mischievous child enjoying a bubble bath.

“Grimm, I suppose we’ll be reaching Krakatoa Harbor tomorrow?”

Lefay’s words were soft, vibrating from her throat. It was so soft that only Grimm could hear from his ears. Every breath that escaped from her nose and touched his ears felt so warm.

Feeling the warmth in his arms, Grimm hugged his wife tighter as he gave a firm “yes”. Then, his hands were beginning some… mischievous fondles.

The night was so silent, romantic and warm. Everything felt so nice and serene… and there appeared to be only Grimm and Lefay in the area…

Yet…

“Caw caw, Master! I’ve got something here! It’s a Neonbird! A Neonbird! It’s so unthinkable for us to find such a creature from the ancient times over here at the Eastern Coral Island. It’s so unthinkable! Master, come! We should…”

Cough cough!

Grimm let out two fake coughs before quickly separating from Lefay as he glared at this stupid bird.

Just what time did it think it was? Grimm did not have the mood to catch some pre-historic bird at all.

“Erm… Myna, could you please head into the pocket dimension and hit the sack? Lefay and I have something to… discuss.” Grimm put on a solemn face as he spoke to Myna, like there was some important business going on.

“Oh, what are you discussing?” Myna asked as its idiotic excitement still overwhelmed him.

Stunned, Grimm almost burst out in laughter seeing this stupid bird’s naivety. He quickly grabbed Myna and threw him into the pocket dimension as he scolded, “What we’re discussing? What thing? Just scram! Don’t you dare give me that innocent look!”

“Caw….” Myna screeched as it disappeared into the pocket dimension.

The farm was now quiet again. Grimm grinned as he looked at Lefay.

“Ah… you baddie. Just what do you think you’re… doing…” Lefay giggled as she pushed Grimm’s chest away with her hands.

Grimm let out a mischievous laugh and answered, “What I’m doing? Of course I’m doing you. Come, little lamb. Allow the big bad wolf in.”

Stunned after hearing this, Lefay quickly realized what Grimm meant.

“Teehee, you’re such a baddie! We’ll never know just who the little lamb is yet. Come, little Grimm lamb… your big sis wolf is hungry. You’re not going to escape my paws…”

Then, cheerful giggles and laughs could be heard larking in the quiet farm.

…

Next evening.

At the Krakatoa Duke’s mansion.

Grimm and Lefay sat together as they raise their wine glasses to the retired sorcerer who invited them and Apollo to a feast in the Eastern Coral Island.

A warm smile beamed on the duke’s face.

There was also a glimpse of regret on his face too.

“Oh, how I haven’t thought that the two most anticipated candidates out of the hundreds of sorcerer-apprentices on the Dyla Wheel did not rank up to be full-fledged sorcerers at all. In fact, there was only one of them succeeded in ranking up from the Holy Tower Qualification Battle. Yet, there were you and Nina York—the prodigies that were hidden amongst waves after waves of the ordinary sorcerer-apprentices. Such a shame…”

It’s such a shame that now Grimm and Nina York had become the full-fledged sorcerers for Black Isotta.

After exchanging words, the duke, Grimm and Lefay took a full gulp of the wine from their glasses.

After Grimm’s wedding, Nina York had traveled back to Black Isotta Sorcerer Academy. She had also agreed to keep Lefay’s information a secret.

In exchange for that, Nina York had acquired Lefay’s grandfather’s secret lab in Bi Seer City, making Bi Seer City her second home.

In the grand feast, Grimm and the duke were chatting for a full two hourglass time before ending his visit. The duke made a promise to Grimm—that he would gift Grimm the small castle that he once lived on at Krakatoa Harbor.

On a well-lit street, Grimm and Lefay were strolling slowly as they held hands, passing by countless other citizens.

“So where are we going? How about we head to your castle… maybe we’ll play that little game… like how I visited your chamber two hundred years ago? Hmm? My dear little Grimm?”

Lefay teasingly looked at Grimm.

Letting a few fake coughs, Grimm replied with a smile, “Erm, let’s bring you to the Dim Well. I can still remember the night Robinson brought me to the place. Oh, the memories…”

After a while.

They arrived at the small mysterious house. Under the moonlight, a maple tree was swaying against the wind as it cast its shadow on the windows. It felt as though it was a palm, holding an infinite amount of sadness within.

There was a well next to the house. Some youngsters’ laughter could be heard in the area—they appeared to be entertained by something. Grimm and Lefay were amongst these youngsters.

Creak…

Entering the house, Grimm took out a few gold coins from his pocket and looked at the elderly sorceress. The old sorceress too looked at Grimm.

He originally thought this old sorceress was just another colleague who was hiding her real appearance using sorcery.

Yet, she was not breathing. How could this be?

A Mechanical Marionette?

As Grimm was surprised by this revelation, the old sorceress opened her mouth, revealing two rows of blackened teeth within. Then, a sapling grew from within her throat.

The sapling let out an angry puff. “Oh young sorcerer, don’t you know no sorcerer higher than Level 1 is allowed to approach the Eye of the World?”

Grimm’s eyes were widening as he saw this.

This… this was the breath of the Spring World Guardian! One of the two most powerful World Guardians!

Caught off-guard, Grimm quickly pulled Lefay, who was still clueless as to what to do, to his side and bowed to the sapling. Although the sapling was just an exemplification of the real World Guardian, it still held immense authority—one that Grimm must look up to.

The sapling shook its body before continuing on, “Hmph, I see. You don’t know. Now, make sure you don’t leak out information about the Eye of the World.”

Grimm quickly replied, “Yes, of course.”

Then, after a short hesitation, Grimm asked, “Oh dear great World Guardian, my wife is just a Sorcerer-apprentice… would you mind…”

Tud!

The sapling tossed a rock at Grimm, “Take it. Don’t worry, I’ll give this out for free this time. No gold coin needed.”

After that, the sapling quickly crawled back into the old sorceress’ throat.

Half an hourglass time later, Lefay giggled as she held Grimm’s arm while they walked to the sea-view castle.

“Did you see that? That creature only has one head. And there are many tentacles beneath it. And… and it was hovering in the air as it spoke to me. Oh, I was so surprised… and then that was not all…”