The three children held their breath, eyes wide open. This was the first time they had seen a magician perform and they didn't want to miss any of the exciting details.

More and more light dots gathered in Laylie's palm, gradually forming a small white ball of light. The process of casting the spell was not actually as long and extravagant as it seemed, but Laylie had added unnecessary steps to satisfy the curiosity of the children. Modifying the spell process was quite difficult, but for Laylie, it was nothing... she was considered the most talented mage among her peers in the capital city. It was said that she had the title of "probationary inheritor mage" even when she was just a renowned mage. Otherwise, she wouldn't have received the favor of a mage mentor from the Ulel Mountains and become their disciple.

Laylie's sea-blue eyes shone brightly under the magic light. Rocky was a little dazed, not because of the magical spell, but because of his sister's stunning profile. Laylie's appearance was also well-known among the numerous prestigious families in Nomenge. At just sixteen years old, she had already become a regular guest at various large banquets and dances. Some nobles even attended these events just for her.

But Rocky's gaze was quickly diverted as Laylie gently raised the ball of light in her hand. It slowly rose and turned into an invisible breeze that hovered in the garden, blowing the scattered dandelion seeds. Time seemed to reverse as the seeds gathered around Rocky's bare flower stem, reassembling into complete dandelion flowers.

The girls exclaimed in amazement, and Rocky opened his mouth, staring in disbelief at the dandelion in his hand. "It turned back!"

"Not really," Laylie playfully stuck out her tongue. "This dandelion will still wither away. No magic can revive living organisms. I just forcibly gathered the seeds together."

"Can't a mage... a mage mentor do it?" Michian, the little girl behind Rocky, spoke up. Her voice was still young and somewhat timid. It was said that she was the daughter of the Pope of the Aldanoa clan, and she indeed had some resemblance to them with her blonde hair and purple eyes, as if she was adorned with a halo. However, her personality seemed to lack the iron-blooded demeanor of the Aldanoa clan.

"No, they can't," Laylie reached out to caress Michian's head, smiling gently. "Death is a frightening thing. It is absolute and irreversible. Not even magic can defy it."

"The goddess Tiran can definitely defy death," Rocky looked at Michian, who was being touched by Laylie, a bit dissatisfied. Although he himself didn't know where this dissatisfaction came from, he said loudly, "Everyone says that the gods are omnipotent."

Laylie still smiled. "Perhaps... but Tiran also cannot revive any living beings. Death is destiny, and the gods won't interfere."

"Some time ago, our teacher said there was a rebellion by desert tribes in the northern border of the empire, killing many civilians. Later, the northern garrison went to suppress them and killed many desert tribes..." Lilia, who had been silent all this time, suddenly interjected, "Were those people's deaths also destiny?"

"Well... this topic might be a bit complicated for you," Laylie gently shook her head. "But I believe that only birth, old age, sickness, and death are the destiny of humans. Death in war is an unexpected outcome that Tiran wouldn't want to see."

"Then why didn't she resurrect those who died unexpectedly? Why didn't she prevent those accidents from happening?" Lilia continued to question, "Tiran is a goddess, she should be able to do it."

Lilia's words carried a hint of blame towards the gods. Michian frowned beside her, as the daughter of the Pope, she would not allow anyone to defame Tiran. "The... Tiran only blesses devout believers. Those people were probably heretics..."

"But heretics are still humans, right?"

"But the heretics..."

"Okay, don't argue. You are friends after all," Laylie interrupted the two girls' dispute. She said, "By the way, did you both skip class again today?"

"It's all Rocky's fault," the two girls were surprisingly united this time, pointing at the boy simultaneously.

"I bet it is," Laylie laughed and reached out her hand towards Rocky, but instead of the expected "head pat," she lightly flicked him instead. "Rocky, you're not being good!""I didn't do anything wrong, everyone just laughed at me," Rocky said.

"Oh? What happened?"

But Rocky snorted unwilling to speak, Lilia shrugged and spoke on his behalf, "Today, the teacher asked everyone to discuss their dreams for the future. However, my brother disrupted the class and was punished by the teacher to stand. He was so angry that he dragged us out of class."

"Dreams?" Laylie raised an eyebrow, "What did Rocky do to disrupt the class?"

"Everyone was talking seriously about becoming archbishops, ministers of the military, ministers of finance... Only my brother had unrealistic dreams," Lilia said, counting on her fingers, "Rocky wants to be a hero."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Then the teacher told him to finish his homework from yesterday before becoming a hero."

"Ha..."

Now even Laylie laughed, and Rocky's face turned red. He took a deep breath and said loudly, "Laugh all you want! I will definitely become a hero!"

................................................................................................................

Rocky sat up abruptly, breathing heavily.

"Rocky, what's wrong?" Alice walked over, handing him a clean towel, "You're sweating a lot. Did you have a nightmare?"

"It's nothing." Rocky quickly calmed down, rubbing his furrowed brow. He carefully concealed his anxiety.

Being a hero? It really was a ridiculous dream... Rocky stood up and stretched. The imposing glacier returned to his deep blue eyes. He no longer had the qualifications to be weak.

"How long did I sleep?" Rocky asked while putting on his school uniform.

"Eighteen thousand three hundred and twenty-three seconds." Alice's answer was as precise as a mechanical clock. "A little over five hours."

"Well, let's go," Rocky opened the door and walked out. It was still dark outside, and dawn was still some time away.

"Where are we going?"

"The library."

................................................................................................................

The Ancient Clock Library was one of the largest buildings in the Merzia Holy Academy. Its overall shape was a neat square. Compared to the magnificent buildings in the academy, it appeared plain and dull. The only decoration was the central clock tower, where a huge clock was placed at the top. This was also the origin of the library's name. The clock was old and worn out. Due to a lack of maintenance, the minute hand was missing, and even from a distance, rust could be seen on the hour hand. It probably wouldn't last much longer. Despite this, the clock, which should have stopped working, was still turning. It still rang at the hour, echoing throughout the academy.

It was said that this building existed long before the Merzia Holy Academy was established and was a historical relic of the previous unified Rhein Empire. In other words, it had a history of at least seven hundred years. It was a miracle that it hadn't collapsed by now, a testament to the blessing of Tiran. The city hall and the academy committee had never repaired it, only doing some simple cleaning. They probably thought that this ugly thing didn't need to exist for generations to come. When it became a dangerous building, they would simply demolish it and rebuild a new one.

Nevertheless, this didn't prevent it from being ranked among the top three libraries in all of Nomenge, and even the entire Reles Empire. Its collection of books was as vast as the stars, and every time the catalog was organized, it was like going to war, requiring hundreds of people to work day and night for several months.

Rocky's visit was not to read books or visit historical sites. He had to see someone, and that person could only be found in the Ancient Clock Library.The two of them walked into the library, passing countless tall bookshelves, until they reached the stairs leading up to the central clock tower.

The stairs were made of metal, and their degree of decay was proportional to their history, making one wonder if they would crumble with a single step.

Of course, the fact was that they wouldn't. Rocky and Alice went up the stairs and arrived at the entrance of a small cabin at the top of the clock tower. This place was usually where the custodian of the clock lived, right beneath the ancient clock.

Rocky lightly knocked on the equally dilapidated door, while Alice felt it was completely unnecessary. The door's lock made no difference whether it was locked or unlocked. The door was full of holes, and a single step would send it on its final journey.

The door opened, revealing an unforgettable face in the dark slit. It was an old man, extremely old, blending in with the worn clock tower.

"Saldar Valentine, the lord of ancient clocks." Rocky slightly bowed to the old man, who resided on the top floor of the ancient clock library. Alice rarely saw Rocky show such sincere respect. Rocky was well-versed in aristocratic etiquette, but behind these manners often hid indifference and calculation.

"I can't really assume the title of lord of ancient clocks. I am merely a lifelong voluntary worker repairing this old clock." Old Saldar bent his back as wrinkles crowded his dried-up face, forming a less than beautiful smile. "Just call me Saldar."

"But you are also the guardian of all Nomenge mages and the teacher of Princess Michian." Rocky bowed again.

"Wow, this old man is also a mage?" Alice was more shocked than the wrinkles on Old Saldar's face. "I thought mages were all like your teacher Rocky, capable of commanding wind and rain and keeping their youth forever."

"Alice! Stop talking nonsense!" Rocky scolded angrily.

Alice could only pout and move to the side.

"Actually, what your apprentice said is quite accurate. Even among mages, Baidimuto is outstanding." Old Saldar didn't mind Alice's rudeness at all. "I, as an old man, indeed can't compare to him."

"I apologize, she has a habit of speaking without restraint." Rocky bowed for the third time.

Old Saldar waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for excessive politeness, and then invited the two into the cabin.

Inside the room, there was no dazzling sight. It was as old as expected, with minimal furnishings. A small bed, a wooden table, and two chairs were enough to summarize it. However, it was relatively clean, just like the simple robe Old Saldar wore.

In fact, Alice's surprise was not without reason. Mages were not only a symbol of great power but also a symbol of wealth. Their alchemical skills were not as simple as manufacturing machinery; they held the ability to turn rocks into gold. Moreover, the mage before them was the teacher of the Pope's daughter, and one would never expect him to appear so destitute.

Rocky sat on one of the chairs, while Alice sat on the other. Since Old Saldar didn't have any more chairs, he had to sit on the bed.

On the wooden table, there was a black envelope with a bright silver emblem on the front, representing the inheritance mark of another mage. This was the second time the emblem appeared at the Mesia Holy Academy, the first being on the desk of the headmaster, Kalm.

"I know what you want to do. Your teacher has already told me," Old Saldar said, staring at the envelope, then turning his gaze towards Rocky. "But I suggest you give up."