Chapter 202: Amanda’s Letter of Recommendation.

Before leaving the Faerie Forest, Hamon had instructed Amanda that once he reached the Central Court, he should find a dragon elder who had lived in Igya City for many years and ask him for a recommendation letter to enter the magic academy.

But after arriving in Igya City that afternoon, they had been so focused on finding the magic academy that the matter had completely slipped his mind.

Now it was nearly dark and they were about to walk through the academy gates when Amanda finally remembered that he had forgotten to find the dragon elder.

He clutched at his hair and paced frantically in circles before looking helplessly at Shu Li.

At his reminder, Shu Li finally remembered the recommendation letter too.

And it wasn’t just the two of them. The other Little Fairies had probably forgotten as well. Too much had happened along the way. First they had fought a battle against rats, then another against river bandits, then they had been robbed by highwaymen before unexpectedly encountering Captain Ximu.

In short, their journey had been so eventful that they had completely forgotten something important.

But it was already late. Calling on a dragon elder at this hour just to ask for a recommendation letter would be rather rude.

“Can someone enter the magic academy without a recommendation letter?” Shu Li asked Seidler.

Seidler had just told Moresy that nonstudents were forbidden from entering the academy. Without a recommendation letter, would Amanda be turned away at the gates?

“The magic academy is strictly regulated,” Seidler said. “Outsiders must have a recommendation letter before they’re allowed inside.”

Amanda grew anxious, his gray-blue eyes turning moist as he looked at Shu Li.

Shu Li reassured him. “Don’t worry. It’s not a big problem. There are still three days before admissions close.”

Fortunately, they had chosen to use the teleportation arrays and had reached Igya City ahead of schedule, so they had plenty of time. They could stay at an inn tonight, visit the dragon elder tomorrow, and return to the academy to enroll after obtaining the recommendation letter.

The other Little Fairies reassured Amanda as well, telling him it was nothing serious and there was no need to panic.

Amanda lowered his head in embarrassment, feeling as though he had held everyone back.

Shu Li turned to Nasha and Ace. “You two should go enroll with Seidler first!”

They were humans, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to bring them along when visiting a dragon elder.

Ace smiled. “I’m in no hurry.”

“Neither am I,” Nasha said.

They had come here together, so naturally they should stick together. How could they abandon everyone else and go enroll on their own?

Hector stood to one side listening to them, the corner of his mouth curving upward.

They really were close.

It was enviable.

Seeing how determined they were, Shu Li didn’t refuse. Instead, he said apologetically to Seidler, “Thank you for bringing us to the magic academy. Amanda doesn’t have a recommendation letter yet, so we won’t go inside for now. Once he gets one, we’ll come back to enroll.”

Seidler studied the group of innocent-looking youths for a moment before asking, “Where are you going to get the recommendation letter?”

Not just anyone could write a recommendation letter for St. Velia Magic Academy. If its origin was unclear and the person who wrote it lacked sufficient authority, the academy would not recognize it.

Amanda hesitantly glanced at Shu Li.

Could they tell him?

Shu Li thought for a moment, then nodded.

The dragon elder lived in Igya City and had presumably taken human form. If he had enough authority to write Amanda a recommendation letter, he certainly couldn’t be an insignificant figure. Since Seidler was a student at the magic academy, perhaps he knew the dragon elder’s name.

Seeing Shu Li nod, Amanda said to Seidler, “Before I left home, my brother told me to find Zephyr Red when I got here. Do you know him?”

Seidler froze.

“Are you sure it was Zephyr Red?”

Amanda looked puzzled. “Of course!”

Before he left home, his brother had been afraid he would forget the elder’s name, so he had specifically made Amanda memorize it. He remembered it perfectly. There was no way he had gotten it wrong.

Noticing Seidler’s surprise, Kumandi calmly asked, “Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong.” Seidler came back to himself. “If you’re certain the person you’re looking for is Zephyr Red, then come into the academy with me.”

The Little Fairies and the young dragon stared at him in surprise.

“Huh?”

Seidler gave them one of his rare smiles. “Zephyr Red is an instructor at the magic academy. I’ll take you directly to him.”

“Really?” Amanda exclaimed excitedly.

So the dragon elder was an instructor at the magic academy! No wonder his brother had told him to ask Zephyr for a recommendation letter!

“Wow, that’s great!”

Angel, Dixio, and Budno excitedly threw their arms around Amanda and vigorously rubbed against him.

“Hehehe—” Amanda grinned foolishly.

Shu Li breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed Hamon knew his silly little brother very well. He must have known Amanda would forget, so he had deliberately chosen an academy instructor to serve as his recommender.

Watching the four boys hug and rub against one another, Hector once again marveled at how close they were.

Mountain villagers really were simple and innocent. They were nothing like brothers from noble families, who guarded against one another like enemies for the sake of power and property.

“Thank you, Seidler,” Shu Li said gratefully.

Amanda and the other Little Fairies chorused, “Thank you, Seidler!”

Once again confronted by several pairs of sparkling eyes staring at him, Seidler’s cheeks reddened slightly. He cleared his throat.

“Let’s go inside.”

With that, he headed toward the magnificent academy gates.

Classes had just ended for the day, and groups of commuting mages were leaving the academy. Judging by the badges on their chests, most were Mage Apprentices and Initiate Mages, with a smaller number of Mages. Magic Instructors and Grand Mages were almost nowhere to be seen.

When they saw Seidler entering with nine Mage Apprentices, every one of them politely saluted him.

The higher a mage’s rank, the greater the respect they received. It didn’t matter whether they knew one another. As long as a lower-ranking mage saw a badge belonging to a Magic Instructor, they were expected to salute and offer a greeting.

Seidler seemed thoroughly accustomed to it and calmly acknowledged them.

Beyond the academy gates lay a spacious plaza. Fifty meters ahead stood a reception hall.

Eight of the Mage Apprentices took out their recommendation letters and presented them to the mage at reception. When the receptionist saw that six of the letters were addressed to the headmaster, he was visibly surprised, but said nothing. Once he had verified them, he returned the letters to Shu Li and the others.

As for Amanda, Seidler vouched for him, and since the person he was looking for was Zephyr Red, the receptionist readily allowed him through.

After leaving the reception hall and officially entering the academy, Amanda’s anxious heart finally settled.

St. Velia Magic Academy covered an enormous area, practically forming a city within the city. Its infrastructure surpassed even that of Igya City outside its walls. Magical elements permeated everything. Broad roads crisscrossed in every direction, while the buildings grew more exquisite one after another, each like a work of art with its own distinctive style.

Beyond its man-made structures, the academy also contained vast forests, lakes, hills, and rivers where students could practice magic.

Mage Apprentices had to report to the instructors’ office building to enroll, which worked out perfectly—they could find Zephyr Red there and ask him for Amanda’s recommendation letter.

Seidler took the Mage Apprentices aboard one of the academy’s internal rail carriages. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the instructors’ office building.

The building was exceptionally imposing. Above its main entrance floated an enormous magical formation with a nine-sided crystal embedded at its center, leaving the Mage Apprentices staring openmouthed.

The Little Fairies knew their treasures. One glance was enough for them to recognize the crystal as an extremely valuable Netherwater Stone.

They’re filthy rich!

“Seidler, it’s rare to see you at the academy. What brings you here today?”

They had barely entered the building when a middle-aged man approached them. From the magical badge on his chest, they could tell he was a Grand Mage.

Seeing him, Seidler respectfully saluted.

“Hello, Instructor Green. I brought some new students here to enroll.”

“Oh? New students?” The middle-aged man addressed as Green raised an eyebrow and looked at the youths behind him.

This year’s admissions period was nearly over. The new students had already arrived half a month ago, and class assignments had only been finalized yesterday. Yet nine more Mage Apprentices had suddenly appeared today.

What was more, three of the nine were Senior Mage Apprentices.

“Hello, Instructor Green.”

The Mage Apprentices obediently saluted the middle-aged man in greeting.

Green beamed and nodded repeatedly. “Good. Very good. This year’s new students are all remarkably talented.”

Seidler asked, “Instructor Green, is Instructor Red in his office?”

Green looked puzzled. “He is, but Instructor Red isn’t responsible for admissions.”

Seidler explained, “This is Amanda. He wants to ask Instructor Red for a recommendation letter.”

Green looked even more surprised. His gaze sharpened as he scrutinized Amanda.

“What is your relationship with Instructor Red?”

Amanda answered calmly, “I’m a younger member of his family. I suppose I should call him... Uncle.”

He was the youngest dragon in his clan, but his generation wasn’t particularly low. According to his brother, Zephyr Red belonged to the same generation as their father but was younger than him, which made Zephyr his uncle.

“You suppose?” Green immediately caught the key phrase.

Amanda smiled shyly. “To tell you the truth, I’ve never met him before.”

If his brother hadn’t mentioned it, Amanda would never even have known that there was a giant dragon of his uncle’s generation disguised as a human and thriving in the Central Court.

Green stroked his smooth chin with interest, then shifted his gaze toward the others.

“What about all of you? You have recommendation letters, right?”

Shu Li and his companions nodded. “We do.”

Hector pulled a wax-sealed envelope from his storage pouch and presented it with both hands.

“This is my recommendation letter. Please take a look, Instructor Green.”

Green accepted the envelope, turned it over, and read the recipient’s name aloud.

“Komoshi Nar...”

It was actually addressed to the head of the magical formations department.

This boy’s background was anything but ordinary.

Green handed the recommendation letter back to Hector. “Are you going to wait for them, or would you rather go see Instructor Nar first?”

Hector barely knew Shu Li and the others, so ordinarily he should have gone to find Komoshi Nar on his own. But curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to stay with them.

Green laughed. “All right, then. I’ll take you to Instructor Red first.”

“I can take them,” Seidler said. “There’s no need to trouble you, Instructor Green.”

Green laughed heartily and reached out to pat him on the shoulder. “Seidler, don’t be so serious. I have nothing else to do anyway, so I might as well help the children enroll. If you have something to take care of, you can go ahead.”

But Seidler wasn’t someone who could be easily sent away. He did everything rigidly by the book, and since he had decided to bring the Mage Apprentices here to enroll, there was no chance he would abandon the task halfway through.

“It’s fine,” he said. “A little more time won’t make a difference.”

Green spread his hands helplessly, amused.

Before long, the group headed upstairs.

Amanda was bubbling with excitement. In a low voice, he asked Angel how he should explain his identity to Uncle Zephyr once they met.

There were so many people around!

Angel wrapped an arm around his shoulders and told him not to worry. Zephyr was his uncle. Surely he would recognize Amanda’s true identity at a glance.

Reassured, Amanda’s nervous heart calmed somewhat.

Upstairs, they encountered even more magic instructors.

Shu Li noticed that the badges on their chests mostly belonged to Magic Instructors and Grand Mages. Confused, he turned to Seidler.

“Um... why aren’t there any Saint Mage instructors?”

Hadn’t Seidler said that Magic Instructors and Grand Mages were fourth- and fifth-year students? Why were they appearing in the instructors’ office building?

Shu Li had already found it strange when Seidler addressed Green, a Grand Mage, as “Instructor,” but he had held the question in for quite a while before finally asking it quietly.

Seidler looked into the boy’s gray-green eyes.

“There are very few Saint Mages, and most of them work at the Magic Tower. They’re occupied with countless responsibilities and don’t have enough time to hold positions at the academy. So some particularly outstanding fourth- and fifth-year students also work as instructors, teaching first- through third-year students.”

Magic Instructors and Grand Mages possessed extensive knowledge and experience. They were more than qualified to teach lower-year students.

Understanding dawned on Shu Li.

So they could do that!

Danlov was an absolute genius at management. He refused to let even the slightest resource go to waste.

Everything put to its best use, everyone put to work according to their talents.

Student and teacher at the same time.

The best of both worlds.

“We’re here.”

Green stopped before a dazzling golden door and informed everyone behind him that this was Zephyr Red’s office.

Shu Li studied the ornate, heavy door.

As expected of a dragon. His tastes couldn’t be more obvious.

Green pressed a hand against the door. The magical formation inscribed across its surface instantly lit up, alerting the person inside that visitors had arrived.

Click—

The door unlocked automatically.

Green pushed it open and entered, respectfully saluting the silver-haired man seated behind the desk reading a book.

“Hello, Instructor Red. A Mage Apprentice would like to ask you for a recommendation letter.”

The silver-haired man closed his book and raised a young, strikingly handsome face. His pale golden eyes regarded the group entering his office with cool indifference.

A giant dragon whose strength rivaled that of the Mage Sovereign possessed eyes capable of seeing through any disguise.

The moment Zephyr discovered that among the group stood five Little Fairies, one young dragon, and—

the Elven King—

his pupils contracted.

His figure blurred.

In an instant, he teleported directly in front of them, staring fixedly at the blond boy.

“Your—”

Ace’s lips moved without producing a sound.

Yet Zephyr had already heard what he said.

He swiftly suppressed his shock, turned toward the expectant young dragon, reached out, and plucked him from the group.

“What’s your name?” he asked with a frown.

Dangling from the tall Zephyr’s grip like a kitten, Amanda blinked his innocent eyes and obediently answered, “Uncle Zephyr, my name is Amanda.”

At being called “Uncle” by a young dragon, the gaze of Zephyr—who was more than six thousand years old—shifted slightly.

Aside from Hamon’s family, there were no other dragons who could call him uncle.

“When were you... born?” Zephyr asked.

“Eleven years ago,” Amanda answered honestly.

Zephyr frowned. “Why would your brother allow you to leave home on your own?”

Had Hamon lost his mind?

He had actually allowed a young dragon to wander around the continent.

“I didn’t leave home alone! I have lots of friends with me!” Amanda pointed at Shu Li and the other four Little Fairies.

Zephyr released Amanda and looked toward the Little Fairies, who were obviously minors themselves.

Under the gaze of an adult dragon, the five Little Fairies stood perfectly still and didn’t make a sound.

As expected of a dragon.

His entire presence radiated authority.

Zephyr certainly wanted to get to the bottom of this, but with the Elven King himself present, it hardly seemed like something he needed to interfere with.

Better to deal with his own family’s youngster first.

Seeing Zephyr remain silent, Amanda asked quietly, “Uncle, can you write me a recommendation letter?”

Zephyr pressed a hand down on his head.

“What recommendation letter? I’ll take you to see the headmaster myself.”

Amanda’s eyes lit up.

“Thank you, Uncle!”