Chapter 90: The Council of Review

Andy was quite puzzled by Oliver’s use of the term “Magister” for wizards. By convention, shouldn’t it be “Wizard Master”? Unfortunately, Oliver couldn’t explain it either; he could only say it was an age-old, established term passed down through generations. Andy also recalled some wizardry specialties, such as “Economical Casting” and “Focused Casting,” which similarly used terminology that seemed at odds with the style of the wizarding world. He suspected there must be some secret behind this, so when he returned, he consulted the Magic Mirror. The result that appeared startled him.

“Magic stones required???”

Well, this time, it didn’t even display a specific number. Realizing he wouldn’t get an answer any time soon, Andy decided not to dwell on it—the name could stay as it was. For now, the most important thing was to master the Hand of the Wizard.

While Andy was consulting the Magic Mirror to learn the Hand of the Wizard, a certain group connected to him was just arriving in the royal capital. This was the Queen’s council sent to observe Andy in Dallas.

Before ascending the throne, the Queen had established a three-year evaluation period to select the most suitable husband from among the best candidates. Three years might seem a long time, but for extraordinary beings of the Silver Rank and above, whose lifespans stretched four or five centuries, three years was but a fleeting moment.

For each candidate chosen by the Queen, the palace and council assigned a group of five evaluators to investigate the candidate’s background, experience, talent, character, and achievements, ultimately compiling a comprehensive report for the Queen.

Of all these groups, the one led by Andre had the most convoluted experience. They were originally assigned to evaluate Allen Baal. So, they first gathered information about Allen’s past in the capital, then set out for Dallas to observe him up close.

Unexpectedly, midway through their journey, they received new orders: their evaluation target had changed to someone named Andy Charles. Andre was quite annoyed by this, as all their prior work was now wasted. Fortunately, the new target was also in Dallas, so their travel plans didn’t need to change.

But when they reached Dallas, they found Andy had already left for the outer court of Grim Academy in the capital. This only increased Andre’s frustration. They hurriedly conducted an investigation into Andy’s background and came to a simple conclusion: a nobody!

Then, without pause, they rushed back to the capital.

Dusty and travel-worn, the council members took a day off, since their homes were all in the capital. The next day, they reconvened.

“Sir, I’ve already found out that Andy Charles has entered the outer court of Grim Academy. Where should we begin our work?” asked a young man, just past twenty. He still seemed a bit youthful, but his posture was straight, and his gaze determined, which made Andre appreciate him all the more.

This young man was one of the Queen’s palace secret guards. Before she ascended the throne, no one had known the Princess controlled such a force. Only after her coronation did traces of the Queen’s Secret Guard emerge. In private, some even likened them to the Green Phoenix Society of the Sain Duchy.

Thinking of the young man’s background, Andre replied in a casual tone, “Our work? What work do we have, really? Our target is just a foil among the Queen’s prospective husbands. So why not take things easy for once? After all this hard travel, we deserve some rest.”

But then, remembering his duty as team leader, he realized such words might dampen morale, so he amended, “Today, let’s do nothing else. Let’s first go to the Disciplinary Office at Grim Academy and check Andy Charles’ file.”

The group easily met with the Director of the Disciplinary Office and, accompanied by him, went to the outer court branch to find Andy’s record.

As they flipped through the file, the evaluators were surprised to find that Andy had been at the school less than half a year and already had two disciplinary infractions.

Their impression of Andy dropped even lower.

While the council was examining Andy’s file, a slightly chubby young man was loitering in the main hall outside the office, his gaze flickering toward the door.

Once the evaluators left, the chubby youth glanced around, then hurried out of the Grim outer court.

Outside, he wiped nonexistent sweat from his brow, then entered a nearby elegant building called the “Fairy Beauty House.”

He brushed aside two women who came to greet guests at the door and made his way straight to a private room.

Inside, two men and four women were drinking and making merry. The chubby youth bent slightly and greeted the young man at the center in a low voice, “Young Master Clark.”

The youth in the center was Blair Clark, only son of Peter Clark. He had come out today to host a welcome for his friend, Allen Baal.

Though displeased at having their revelry interrupted, Blair decided to hear what the young man had to say.

The chubby youth hesitated, which made Blair snap, “Damn it, spit it out! There’s no one here but us.”

So the youth quickly recounted what had happened at work that day. Recently, Young Master Clark had asked him to keep an eye out if anyone checked the files of those with the four great family names.

As the youth detailed the day’s events, Blair immediately realized the visitors must have been members of the council from the capital. He asked for more details, which only confirmed his suspicion.

After all, the council was no longer so mysterious among the noble scions. Candidates like Blair, when studied by the council, would in turn study its members, hoping to curry favor and tailor their behavior accordingly.

Hearing that Andy had disciplinary records, Blair exhaled in relief. Then he heard Allen say, “Andy Charles? Which Andy Charles? I happen to know an Andy Charles from Dallas. He was the apprentice of the late wizard Stein.”

“Stein?” Blair Clark repeated the name softly. He remembered hearing it from his father. Apparently, that was the man with whom that woman had once been involved.

Thinking of that woman, Blair ground his teeth. She was the reason the family had cut off his special training privileges. Now his treatment was the same as the other talented members of the family. If not for the extra resources provided each month by Peter Clark, with his second-rate spiritual talent Blair would long ago have faded into mediocrity.

Thus, Blair nursed a deep resentment toward anything connected to that woman. He silently vowed, “Hmph! The old one’s already dead, and now the young one comes to the capital to stir up trouble? I’ll send you back to the countryside just like my father did!”