Passerby Villain In A Wizard World

Celia looked at the dozens of apprentices who were gazing at her curiously and introduced herself. Although her status was high, she didn't seem to carry an air of superiority.

"Okay, now that you know who I am, let's get you to the registration room first. As much as I want to get to know you all, time isn't in our favor."

Then, without allowing anyone to express their surprise, she swiftly turned around and stepped out of the reception booth, signaling all of them to follow her into a room at the corner.

Ian noticed that this room was barren, unlike the others where multiple apprentices were lined up for something.

"Since you're new to the Mystic Circle, you must first register and get an identity token. Without it, you cannot do anything here. Even in the City of Runeshire, you need this token to purchase anything related to wizards."

Celia explained gracefully in a soft voice while walking toward the empty room.

"Actually, you were supposed to arrive during the Arcane Assembly a few months later. There, you could have chosen an organization based on your talent," she continued.

"But since there was an emergency and Wizard Ron arrived early, Mystic Circle will help you guys a little."

She smiled and suggested,

"In fact, in my opinion, you people are quite lucky. You have the chance to join our organization during your stay here. Many organizations outside have strict requirements and don't look favorably upon people from Gravethrone. Maybe you'll find better opportunities here."

"Huh? But… aren't we already joining the Mystic Circle?"

However, hearing her suggestion, the apprentices were more confused, and Prince Ray couldn't help but ask doubtfully.

All of them thought they had already joined the Mystic Circle after Ron chose them, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

"Of course not. Didn't Wizard Ron tell you these things?"

Celia was stunned by their confusion.

"Well, he might have forgotten. Let me explain briefly."

Seeing their clueless expressions, she sighed and said,

"Right now, you are just unaffiliated apprentices from the Gravethrone Continent. Your first priority is to join a wizard organization."

"The Mystic Circle's mission was only to take you out of that place and give you an opportunity. How you seize it depends on your talent and ability."

After explaining briefly, she clapped her hands to draw their attention once again.

"Well, you'll understand these things in time. For now, let's get you registered and issue your identity tokens."

Ian noticed that Celia was very skilled at controlling the crowd, as she didn't allow them to dwell on what she had just said.

Instead, she directly entered the large room, heading toward a large shimmering crystal at the center. The crystal was very similar to the one he had seen in Everbright City.

"This is a Keystone, which you might have already seen before."

Sure enough, it was the same crystal Ron had used to check the apprentices' talents. But unlike the one in Everbright City, this crystal shimmered with mana at all times.

"Since you already have experience, that saves me from explaining. Just line up and come one by one," Celia instructed.

"Oh, by the way, there's no need for an Ignisia Token this time. Just place your hand atop the crystal and that's it. Tell me your name, and I'll generate an identity token for you."

She explained in one breath with a smile and signaled the nearest person to step forward.

Just like before at the Ignisia Tower, everyone lined up and placed their hand atop the crystal, which displayed different colors with points.

The only difference this time was that there was no Ignisia Token. Instead, each apprentice received a new silver token engraved with their name and a complex runic symbol.

However, Ian noticed that after assessing the few apprentices' qualifications, Celia seemed to lose interest. She simply operated the crystal, placing raw tokens in the groove and generating identity tokens for each person.

Seeing such a cumbersome process, Ian wondered why there was no one else assigned to do such a tedious job.

"Next!"

It didn't take long for Ian's turn to arrive, as there were only 18 of them.

As he stepped forward while the other apprentices unconsciously made way for him. Unlike others, his presence was quite unique as he was all alone yet people seemed to respect him.

"Huh?"

Sure enough, Celia also immediately sensed something odd about him. Besides, she could tell that Ian was also a Third-Class Wizard apprentice, just like her.

"It seems there's still someone with good talent."

She mumbled in a low voice, raised her expectations a bit, and casually glanced at Ignysyl's figure at the end.

After all, it was strange to see such a unique Raven sleeping peacefully on someone's shoulder like this.

"Is this your pet? What is it? How did you tame it?"

Seeing such a unique creature she had never seen before, Celia finally couldn't contain herself and asked.

"Hmm? Oh, it is some kind of bird I found on my journey here."

Ian smiled at her curiosity and casually answered while placing his hand atop the crystal.

"I don't know what it is called, but it seems to like me a lot. I didn't need to tame it or anything. You can think of it as my friend."

He replied when suddenly the crystal, which had only been glowing faintly before, brightened significantly, dragging Celia's attention back.

"Wow, 10 points in all of them? No wonder you are already a Third-Class Apprentice."

Celia said with a little surprise while taking out a silver token from the groove. Then she handed the token to Ian and said with a smile,

"Our Mystic Circle likes to train talents like you the most. Why don't you join us immediately? After all, it's better to start practicing now than to wait for a few months."

She gave a beautiful smile to Ian. And she wasn't trying to poach him or anything but was genuinely hoping for the best for him.

After all, for the Mystic Circle, this level of talent was nothing, as they valued more about other characteristics instead.

"Haha... thank you for Miss Celia's invitation, but I have other plans."

Ian laughed a little, tactfully declined her invitation, and grabbed the token from her hand, placing it directly inside the mana ring.

Then, feeling that it wouldn't be good to dampen this sunny girl's mood, he joked a little.

"Although, I wouldn't mind joining if the Mystic Circle could promise me an Ascension Potion."

Ian said with clear intrigue and interest in his eyes as if hoping for her to promise immediately.

"You wish!"

Sure enough, unsurprisingly, what he got in return was a good eye roll from the girl in front of him, followed by a straight rejection.

"Even I can't get an Ascension Potion that easily, let alone you."

Perhaps Ian's request was too abrupt and ridiculous, she said something out of her usual character which she immediately tried to correct,

"I mean, an Ascension Potion is a strategic resource, after all. Without serving the Mystic Circle and gaining enough contribution, getting one for free is too difficult."

"Unless you're rich and know certain channels, your only other option is to search abandoned wizard ruins and inheritances."

Then, as if remembering something, she added once more,

"There are also times when an organization gives out an Ascension Potion for completing a particular mission, but that is extremely rare."

"So, you should abandon such fruitless hope."

At last, she even managed to console his poor heart.

"Haha... Miss Celia is serious. I was just joking. I know how precious that thing is."

Ian laughed and waved his hand, signaling that he was fine.

"Oh, then that's good. But like I said, the Mystic Circle always welcomes talents from all over the world. So, if you ever change your mind, you can always join us."

Celia invited Ian once again with clear enthusiasm. Ian could see that this girl had a pure heart and was genuinely thinking about both him and her organization.

"Umm... I will consider it."

So, Ian nodded at her, indicating that he understood, and stepped aside to allow the remaining people to register.

Since the number of apprentices was low, Celia finished distributing tokens to everyone within a few minutes.

"Well, that's it for the registration. Congratulations to all of you. Now, you are truly recognized residents of our Mystic Circle."

Celia welcomed everyone and then continued,

"Now that you all have your identity tokens, it's time for you to learn a few basic things."

Then, suddenly, she smirked playfully and casually dropped a bombshell,

"After giving you identities, the Mystic Circle's mission is complete. From now on, you're on your own, and the organization bears no responsibility for you. You can live however you want in the Runeshire City outside until the day of the Arcane Assembly."

After saying such huge news, she crossed her arms and looked at the crowd as if hoping for their reaction. And she wasn't disappointed as the apprentices immediately became anxious.

"What... how can this be?"

"No, how can you do this?"

"Aren't we already part of the Mystic Circle?"

"How can we live on our own when we know nothing?"

"What is happening?"

In fact, all the apprentices around were eagerly waiting for the next event, expecting wizard robes, spell scrolls, and possibly a wand or staff—even a basic one would do.

But upon hearing that they would receive nothing and would even have to live on their own, of course, they panicked. After all, they were all young and anxious.

'Tsk, tsk, tsk, it seems she isn't so pure. Even she knows how to have fun.'

While all the apprentices were anxious, Ian, on the other hand, shook his head at Celia's bad taste.