Leon’s dilemma didn’t last long. There were several ways he could earn the mana stones he needed; it was just that they would take time.

'It’s just a matter of time,' Leon thought.

He could sell the essences he’d gathered, or even the golems he’d made. He could also offer up some of the artifacts he had collected over time. The scrolls weren’t as plentiful, since he’d been using them regularly and hadn’t received many as rewards recently, so they wouldn’t be enough to gather the required funds.

After much thought, Leon decided to seek out Leicia for advice. She seemed like someone who could offer helpful suggestions, and Arpina had mentioned Leicia as a person to rely on if he needed assistance.

When Leon arrived in front of her quarters, he noticed that Leicia was already in the middle of a conversation with someone. He instinctively stopped in his tracks and held his breath.

“Leicia,” a young man with a face unfamiliar to Leon spoke, his voice filled with nervous energy.

“I’ve admired you ever since our days as ordinary disciples. I know this confession might be overwhelming, but please understand that my feelings are genuine.”

Leicia’s voice, usually warm and kind, was cold and resolute as she responded.

“Thank you for your words, but I cannot accept your feelings.”

The young man’s voice trembled with earnestness. “I can wait.”

“Please don’t wait,” Leicia’s voice remained unwavering.

Leon hesitated, feeling awkward as he overheard this exchange. 'Did I come at the wrong time?' he wondered. The timing couldn’t have been worse.

The man’s face was filled with desperation, but Leicia’s expression remained unyielding. Her natural kindness had vanished, replaced by a cold and distant demeanor.

Despite her rejection, the man continued, “I’m serious. I’ll wait until the day your coming-of-age ceremony is over and you return from the Azure Lake.”

Without waiting for a response, the man turned and quickly walked away, leaving Leicia to sigh deeply as she watched him go.

Leicia then noticed Leon standing nearby. Her expression softened almost immediately.

“Leon? What brings you here?” she asked, surprised.

Relieved that he hadn’t been caught in an uncomfortable situation, Leon cleared his throat awkwardly before speaking.

“I need mana stones, and I was wondering if you could offer some advice on how to sell my items.”

Leicia’s lips curled into a playful smile.

“Phew… So, you’re not here to confess your feelings to me? Too bad.”

“Pardon?” Leon blinked, caught off guard.

“Just kidding, Leon,” Leicia said with a laugh.

“If you give me a list of the things you want to sell, I could spread the word to the other disciples,” she suggested.

However, that wasn’t quite what Leon had in mind. He didn’t want rumors to spread about him selling a large number of essences or high-grade artifacts, as that would likely attract unwanted attention. This was precisely why he hadn’t directly gone to the marketplace to sell anything.

“I’m not comfortable selling so much all at once,” Leon explained. “I don’t know enough about the market here yet.”

Leicia nodded in understanding. “Disciples do exchange goods with each other sometimes, and when the trading caravan visits once a month, you could sell some items then. But if you’re looking to sell in bulk, you might need to visit one of the free cities.”

“I see…” Leon couldn’t hide the disappointment in his voice.

Leicia thought for a moment before speaking again.

“You know that personal disciples receive monthly mana stone allowances, right?”

“I do,” Leon nodded.

“So, the allowance isn’t enough?” Leicia asked, her eyes glinting with interest. “Well, in that case, would you be interested in taking on a mission?”

“A mission?” Leon repeated.

Leicia nodded. “Yes, personal disciples often take on missions when they need extra mana stones. Some even do it regularly.”

Leon was surprised. “I didn’t know personal disciples could take on missions.”

“Well, it’s tiring to just train all day, so sometimes it’s a good idea to mix things up and earn mana stones along the way.”

Leon found it odd to hear that training all day was considered too tiring, but he nodded nonetheless.

“I’ve been meaning to earn some extra mana stones myself. Maybe we could take on a mission together,” Leicia suggested with a twinkle in her eye.

Leon, sensing that the mission might not be as easy as Leicia’s enthusiasm suggested, didn’t immediately accept the offer.

“I’ll need to know what the mission involves and how many mana stones we can earn before deciding.”

“Of course,” Leicia agreed.

Leon did a quick mental calculation. It would be good to accumulate a significant amount of mana stones while he had the chance. With the D- and C-grade potion formulas he had, he would also need mana stones to purchase herbs.

'And if I want to repair the A-grade artifact broom, I’ll need even more mana stones,' Leon thought.

If the mission was too difficult or time-consuming, or if the reward wasn’t sufficient, it wouldn’t be worth his time.

'If I can complete the mission within a month, it might be worthwhile. I could also sell some of my items when the caravan arrives. If that’s not enough, I might have to visit a free city.'

Leicia led Leon to Arpina to discuss the mission.

“A mission?” Arpina raised an eyebrow, glancing at Leon.

“Is there something blocking your progress in training?”

“There is,” Leon admitted.

Arpina nodded, looking as though she expected that answer. She knew Leon well enough to recognize his patterns. When he hit a roadblock in training, he often sought ways to overcome it, no matter the obstacle.

“There’s a mission that might suit you…” Arpina began, but Leicia quickly interrupted.

“Master, I’d like to take the mission as well.”

“You too, Leicia?” Arpina raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. She looked between her two disciples before propping her chin on her hand with a bemused expression.

“Disciples getting involved in a romantic relationship…” Arpina muttered, then quickly shook her head as if dismissing the thought.

“I probably shouldn’t say that out loud. Anyway… there’s the mission of guarding the Valley of Souls. You’d just need to maintain the magic barrier to prevent beasts from crossing over. You could train while doing the job, but the pay is quite low. I assume you need more mana stones than that.”

Arpina paused, thinking for a moment before adding, “I have a personal request I need help with. If you assist me for a month, I can provide you with additional mana stones.”

“Are you going to use your personal supply of mana stones, Master?” Leicia asked, surprised.

Arpina chuckled. “If Leon’s asking for help, it must mean he needs a significant amount.”

Leon nodded, and Arpina smiled knowingly.

“A disciple asking for mana stones means I’ll have to dip into my own funds, but I can’t just give them for free.”

Arpina leaned back, her voice calm. “Help me with my research for a month, and I’ll give you as many mana stones as you need.”

“That’s generous, but I might need a large amount of mana stones,” Leon said cautiously.

Arpina’s expression didn’t change. “I have plenty of mana stones.”

Leon wasn’t trying to disregard Arpina’s offer, but he knew the cost of repairing the A-grade artifact broom and purchasing herbs for potion-making would be substantial.

At that moment, a plan formed in Leon’s mind.

“I’ll take both missions.”

“Both?” Arpina asked, intrigued.

“I’ll assist with your research and take on the guard duty at the Valley of Souls,” Leon explained.

Guard duty seemed like a perfect task for Leon, especially since he could deploy his golems to handle the job while he focused on other matters.

Arpina, however, hesitated, her expression thoughtful.

But when she spoke, her comment was unexpectedly unrelated.

“Leon, call me Master,” Arpina suddenly said with a glint of expectation in her voice.

Leon, caught off guard, quickly composed himself.

“...Yes, Master.”

“Good.” Arpina’s face brightened considerably, as if she had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

“Now I can proudly say you’re my disciple.”

“…”

But Arpina wasn’t finished. As if something else had come to mind, she added, “Oh, and by the way, Glieos noticed that you’ve been hiding your true rank. I explained it well, though.”

“...Of course, he did,” Leon sighed. He had anticipated that the Veil Bracelet, being only a B+-grade artifact, wouldn’t fool a high-level Insight magician like Glieos.

If things had gone south, Leon might have had to leave Astellia altogether. Escaping from a high-level Insight magician wouldn’t have been easy, but it wouldn’t have been impossible either.

Fortunately, Arpina had smoothed things over, and Leon felt a wave of relief wash over him as he bowed his head in thanks.

Glieos likely trusted Arpina enough to let the matter go.

“Glieos seems to have high expectations for you,” Arpina commented.

“Expectations? What kind of expectations?”

“You do know that our faction used to be part of the Arcane, right? Or do you not know what the Arcane is?”

“I’m aware of it,” Leon replied. He had learned about it from the mapmaker, Torrin. The Arcane referred to the collective group of 20 factions led by transcendental magicians.

“You’ve learned a lot since you arrived here, haven’t you?”

Arpina nodded, continuing. “To be part of the Arcane, a faction needs at least one transcendental magician. That’s the main requirement.”

“...So, Glieos expects me to become a transcendental magician?”

“That’s Glieos’s wish. Before you arrived, those expectations were placed on Kalderick. Of course, that hasn’t changed. But now you’re also part of those expectations.”

Leon silently stared at Arpina, his emotions a mix of confusion and contemplation.

To be expected to become a transcendental magician... Was that a blessing or a burden?