Chapter 299: 012: apprentice

Lynch walked toward the cage.

Inside the cage was a crowd of people, both men and women, united by the commonality of youth—the oldest seemed no more than forty years old. Their clothes were tattered, their bodies covered in grime.

As Lynch approached, the group recoiled collectively toward the back of the cage, their fear visible in their eyes.

Lynch scanned the crowd; his gaze finally settled on a young girl among them.

“This feeling… truly…”

He sensed a trace of Spiritual Field from the girl that exceeded that of ordinary people, and with the Eye of Death God, her soul stood out—distinct from the norm. Her heightened spiritual power and soul aberration were qualities that made her an ideal candidate for becoming a Wizard.

Clearly, the girl before him was a Talent.

“What a coincidence…”

Lynch felt as though the goddess of fortune had chosen him lately. He’d only just begun considering gathering followers, and now a Talent Potential presented itself—was this a stroke of luck?

With a swirling mess of thoughts in his mind, he raised his right hand.

“Clang!”

The wooden cage shattered into pieces, debris exploding outward.

The people inside screamed, some nearly fainting from sheer terror. They’d all witnessed Lynch’s earlier slaughter, their minds plagued by the fear of their own impending doom.

It was only after realizing they weren’t harmed and seeing the cage in shambles that they hesitantly calmed down.

Soon, they huddled together, still shaken.

Lynch said, “You can leave now.”

His voice was no longer as cold as before.

The people froze in confusion; the meaning of his words eluded them. Some wanted to ask for clarity but didn’t dare to step forward. After all, the bloody fate of the bandits and slave traders had been seared into their memories. No one wanted to risk saying something that might provoke him.

Patiently, Lynch clarified, “I said, you’re free to go.”

Wizards came from humanity, and without human civilization, Wizardry as a concept couldn’t exist. While the ideological spectrum in the Wizard World was vast, the orthodox perspective considered humanity as part of the same roots.

“Ah!”

“Is it true? Is it really true?”

“Thank you, sir!”

“Lily, quick, thank the gentleman! Thank him, we’re saved!”

The slaves finally shook off their stupor, profusely expressing their gratitude to Lynch—whether by bowing or kowtowing—before scattering into the wilderness one by one, disappearing within moments.

Lynch’s gaze returned to the broken cage, where only the young girl he’d taken an interest in remained.

This surprised him.

He had intended to call her back, but she stayed of her own accord before he could say anything.

Lynch studied her closely.

She appeared to be around four or five years old, her frail and diminutive frame standing out starkly amidst the wreckage of the cage. Her clothing seemed less like garments and more like scraps barely clinging to her thin body, exposing patches of pallid and emaciated skin. Her straw-like hair hung unkempt over her shoulders, with sweat-matted strands sticking to her dirt-smudged forehead.

Lynch asked, “Why didn’t you run?”

The girl replied, “Nini doesn’t know where to go.”

Lynch frowned slightly. “Where is your family?”

Earlier, the cage had contained other children her age, all accompanied by adults.

The girl answered matter-of-factly, “My father was a carpenter. He died before I was born. My mother remarried, but she fell ill and passed away a short time later. My stepfather no longer wanted me and sold me to the slave traders.”

Her large eyes blinked strongly as she spoke, devoid of emotion or fluctuation. Her tone was so tranquil that it felt as if she were recounting an ordinary event.

“Well…”

Lynch was silent for a moment.

It wasn’t exactly a new experience for him. He’d traveled extensively, encountered countless souls, and witnessed suffering and tragedy far worse than this.

Still,

he couldn’t help but feel some sympathy.

Oddly enough, though Lynch had been exposed to endless cycles of hardship, loss, and the world’s cruelty, moments like these still stirred an ineffable feeling within him. He wasn’t entirely numb to it.

And that was good.

The path to becoming a Wizard was arduous and lengthy. Maintaining one’s humanity as a compass ensured that one wouldn’t lose their way in such an unrelenting journey. After all, the very essence of pursuing Wizardry stemmed from human nature. Lose sight of it, and the road would lose all meaning.

The girl’s small face was dominated by her disproportionately large eyes, which now fixed themselves intently on the horizon. Her lips were pressed tightly together, as if something precious was beckoning her from afar.

Lynch asked, “What are you looking at?”

The girl timidly pointed toward the distance and hesitantly asked, “That… that thing over there, can I have it?”

The night sky was too dark for Lynch to discern what she was referring to.

But it didn’t matter.

As the first apprentice he’d chosen, no gift could be beyond his reach.

He nodded. “Of course.”

The girl bolted toward the spot, stopping at the campfire where Lynch had been sitting earlier. She eagerly picked up the chicken bone he had discarded, paying no attention to the dirt and sand clinging to it, and began nibbling on it.

“Nibbling” might not be the right word. Lynch had eaten thoroughly, leaving nothing of substance on the bone. The girl merely puckered her lips around it, savoring remnants of taste that might still linger.

Even so, she held it as though it were a treasure beyond measure. She sucked at it with such earnestness, her dirt-streaked face bright with joy, glowing with an innocent smile full of happiness and contentment.

She said gleefully, “This is the most delicious dinner Nini has had since my mother died.”

“Even if…”

“Even if I were to die right now, Nini wouldn’t mind.”

The girl spoke jubilantly, her words brimming with naïveté and purity, juxtaposing the cruel reality of their content.

Once again, Lynch fell into silence.

He asked, “Your name is Nini, isn’t it? Do you have a full name?”

The girl paused, still nibbling at the chicken bone, before nodding and replying, “Yes, I do. My name is Annie, Annie Allison. My father was a carpenter. My home used to be River Street, 128, Fulma Town. But now that place belongs to my stepfather. I no longer have a home.”

Lynch nodded. “Annie Allison. Got it. I’ll remember you.”

After a brief pause, he continued, “I’m a Wizard. From this day on, you’ll be my apprentice. Do you understand?”

Lynch couldn’t be sure whether she comprehended the meaning of his words or the implications behind the term “Wizard” and “apprentice.”

Nonetheless,

the girl wasted no time in her response, nodding eagerly and blurting without hesitation, “Yes, teacher.”

She quickly added:

“Annie will be very good. Annie will listen to you and work hard to serve you.”

“Please don’t hit me.”

“Don’t send me away; Annie will do anything.”

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