Chapter 30: Sorcerer or Witcher?
Triss wants to take me on as an apprentice?
Arthur instinctively glanced sideways, meeting the Sorceress's eyes, which were full of genuine amusement.
"Kid, although I shouldn't speak ill of others, Sorceresses are not to be trifled with." Arthur nodded distractedly. A woman who could teleport thirty miles in the blink of an eye was certainly not easy to mess with.
But Kolgrim's point was something else: "Do you know that in the Northern Kingdoms, two magic academies are particularly famous: Aretuza, which only teaches women, and Ban Ard, which only accepts men. The chancellors and instructors of both schools spend time every year traveling to the countryside, into the fields."
"Once they find a child with a talent for magic, regardless of whether they are poor or ugly, they are absorbed into the academy."
"I know! I heard people in Vizima talk about it; Yennefer was chosen that way!" Arthur exclaimed excitedly, but immediately quieted down Kolgrim's eyes were filled with sorrow and anger.
The Witcher slowly shook his head, adding: "That's not entirely true. Aside from a few individual Sorcerers, most are just fulfilling a task for the chancellor."
"They take a turn through the villages closest to the cities, hawking the crude potions that apprentices concoct as practice, collecting good reputation and wealth, and then they leave. And even those who genuinely seek students only choose the most exceptional ones as for those whose talents are less outstanding, they are simply left behind in the mud."
"Their magical power grows daily, but they don't know how to control it. They are ultimately forced to watch themselves turn into madmen through repeated loss of control over their magical abilities."
Arthur was shocked. Is the world of Sorcerers truly this brutal?
"Why don't they simply teach the techniques for controlling magical power? I've looked at Triss's notes; it doesn't seem difficult."
"Because the Council will not allow it." A faint red screen expanded as Triss approached, having drawn near without Arthur noticing. The genuine, innate cheerfulness that was always on her face vanished, replaced by a deep worry:
"The Council believes that magic is a powerful and dangerous force that must be controlled by reliable people."
"Even at the cost of sacrificing several times the number of talented people as you have Sorcerers?" Kolgrim's words took Arthur by surprise. The Witcher was rarely this sharp.
"No, that's not true. We don't want to give up on any talented person. The Council… is currently researching ways to improve the screening efficiency." Triss responded with difficulty.
"Fine, let's concede that is the fate of the mediocre. But what about the children who are selected?" Kolgrim pressed hard: "Including those from various noble and wealthy merchant families, you enroll about two thousand students every year. Yet, only about a quarter of them manage to complete their studies on schedule."
"Aretuza's curriculum requirements are very strict…" Triss offered a weak defense, but Kolgrim continued his attack:
"I do not mean to criticize your esteemed school's teaching policies, but I am curious: why is it that in the last two decades, aside from yourself, has no new name been widely recognized in the Northern magical community?"
"Magic is a convergence of many complex disciplines…" Triss started to say, but finally gave up the fight: "I don't know why this is happening."
"I know why!" Kolgrim declared: "Since the first Sorcerers were born, you've all liked to hide the truly valuable knowledge, refusing to share it until you die."
"While there are many remarkable Sorcerers in the magical schools, they only ever teach the most rudimentary parts. The knowledge that truly leads to higher levels is always locked away. Those who want to learn must either pay an exorbitant price or serve as manual laborers for their mentors for over a decade and I hear the required time is growing longer."
"As far as I know, you do not yet have a single spell that can bring about the benefits of a Breath of Life or a Wind of Honor, which is why you've been forced to step into the political mire that Sorcerers otherwise sneer at…"
Adda gasped, hiding behind Arthur.
Triss's lips trembled with anger, and her fiery red hair waved dangerously: "I came to Foltest's court to serve him not to accumulate wealth or prestige, but because Temeria is my birthplace! Serving one's own country is only natural!"
Kolgrim's expression froze for a moment. He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender: "I now truly believe your actual age is not far from your appearance. You are truly terrifyingly innocent. Please forgive me, I will not attack you on this point again."
Triss glared fiercely at Kolgrim: "What does all this have to do with me wanting to take Arthur as my apprentice?"
Kolgrim threw up his hands: "Isn't it obvious? Without sufficient wealth, you would struggle to even maintain your own academic research, let alone properly mentor Arthur. Or, do you intend to act like most of the instructors in the academies, teaching him only the fundamental magical knowledge and then using him as a machine for processing experimental materials?"
"No, I will devote everything I have to nurturing him." The corner of Triss's mouth curled into a victorious smile, as if her moment for counterattack had finally arrived:
"You don't understand Arthur's talent, which is why how did you phrase it just now? you were foolish enough to scare him with the fate of the mediocre."
"But Arthur is a genius, and a genius always receives preferential treatment." She turned to Arthur, smiling sweetly: "Squeezing value out of a genius while they are weak is the most idiotic approach. The truly wise method is to support and befriend them fully, and the returns will naturally be a hundredfold once they become powerful."
Arthur leaned forward, pointing his right index finger back at himself, his face full of confusion: "Me? Me, really?"
Triss nodded, her eyes full of amusement, casting a slightly triumphant glance at Kolgrim: "Of course, I mean you. The young man who can cast a spell purely by using a notebook."
The Royal Sorceress's tone was filled with fervent enthusiasm: "Be my apprentice. First, you'll study at Ban Ard for half a year, and then I will arrange for you to be an exchange student at Aretuza all my resources and contacts are there. Believe me, with twenty years of diligent study, you could become the most dazzling new star in the entire Northern Kingdoms!"
Hearing the last part, Arthur's restless heart suddenly calmed down.
Twenty years of diligent study?
I just transmigrated out of my senior year of high school, and now you're telling me I have to grind for another twenty years?
With my abilities… and my Golden Finger, what can't I accomplish in twenty years that I need to be stuck in an ivory tower?
So, Arthur resolutely refused: "I'm sorry, but I still want to travel around with my teacher first."
Triss could hardly believe her ears: "What? You're giving up on magic because of that?"
Arthur: "I'm not giving up on magic. I just don't want to spend my most precious twenty years stuck in an ivory tower."
Triss just shook her head: "Silly child, my arrangement is truly the best for you. Everyone on the Council does it this way."
There truly is nothing new under the sun…
Arthur finally understood. Everyone on the Council was grooming their own protégés, and the maturation cycle for Sorcerers was long. No wonder Kolgrim had said that no new Sorcerers had risen to prominence in years.
This gave him even more reason to refuse. How could he possibly learn magic properly if he got tangled up with those self-serving people?
He looked into Triss's eyes and sincerely refused: "I apologize, but I prefer to travel."
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