What in Leshy’s name is this?! I’ve been living for hundreds of years and this is the first time I’ve encountered such high affinity to dark magic, I can’t even see her limits!

I felt my back get drenched in sweat. My stomach ached at the thought of this child’s potential.

“Is something wrong?”

The child tilted her head asking curiously at my silence. I took out a handkerchief and tried to wipe the sweat on my forehead that seemed never-ending.

“No-no-ho! N-nothing’s w-wrong!”

I thought that Wilma might’ve made a mistake but that scary child is too much of a perfectionist that she won’t make such blunder!

“Tell me Guild master, does she have a high affinity with dark magic?”

The young man with her asked. Golden hair and eyes, he reminds me of the golden royalty of Aurelis.

No, even if he is from the Aurelis family, he can’t possibly be a royal anymore. A relic borne of greatness?

I pushed my glasses and pulled myself together. It’s unbecoming of me to be so flustered after all these years.

“She does. This is the first time I have ever seen someone with such high affinity with magic, I mean, with dark magic at all. This is an unprecedented event, dark magic shouldn’t…”

Even as a long-lived elf, I’m at a loss on what to do. With my knowledge and my title as a Forest Knight, I’m supposed to carry knowledge normal humans do not have, and for such a person to appear, she also doesn’t seem to know about it.

Beside me, the clueless girl taps on the glass ball and tried to examine it in detail. I don’t know how the guild can teach her. The Magician’s guild may have knowledge, but I doubt it. I pondered, my fingers unconsciously finds its way on my chin. What would happen if her magic went berserk?

“Tell me, do you have any knowledge in dark magic.”

The girl tilted her head in confusion. She shook her head sideways. I knew it, but I had hoped that she was at least aware of it.

“I don’t. I don’t even understand what magic is.”

We have to start there, huh? This is too difficult even for me. Dark magic was categorized as an existing element but everyone treat it as a myth, a thing of legends. After the God War, dark magic was supposed to be erased from Eorth.

Seria is the only person with a lot of knowledge about magic aside from me and she’s out of town until Sunlit Light month.

“Hmmm. If so, is it possible for you to come back here after a couple of weeks or so? I will need to speak with the Magician’s guild master. I cannot provide training without any knowledge, but the Seria, the Magician’s guild master may have some ideas.”

I took out a small dagger from my sleeve. The golden boy was apprehensive but the girl only watched me carefully. I raised my hands over my head together with the dagger.

“Don’t worry. For now, I’ll seal your magic temporarily to avoid any rampage from your emotions. Though at best, it will only last for three days considering the amount of mana you have.”

I cut the tip of my fore finger and blood dribbled on top of the cut skin. I hid the dagger and held out my other hand towards the girl.

“Miss Violet was it? Lend me your forearm. I’ll write the seal.”

She pulled up the white sleeve from her left arm. In her clear porcelain skin, I expertly wrote a magic circle with various geometric shapes.

Four triangles equally distributed on all four sides: up, down, left and right. Two of triangles had lines in the middle, then a square in the middle of the four triangles and next, circle around the the whole image. Finally, I placed a dot in the middle of the square to fully seal her mana. As soon as my finger left her arm, the magic circle glowed a dark bluish-purple and burned itself like burn scars on her flawless skin.

“It may itch sometimes but be careful not to scratch it too much. After three days or so, it would fade away and we would need to replace it with a new one. So please come again in order to avoid any disasters, understand?”

Violet, touched the seal gently with her hand and undid the folded sleeve. She looked at me, still puzzled but nodded in response.

“Hm. After three days…”

“Yes, but not just after three days. Make sure to come back and call for me if it ever fades, understand? Now then, Wilma will finish with everything else.”

I turned to Wilma and pulled her into a corner.

“Wilma, keep quiet about this, do not write her element first telling them that the glass ball is broken. Make sure to keep this a secret. I will call for you once I’ve found a solution. Understand?”

I held Wilma’s shoulder as firmly as I can. She nodded with a serious expression matching mine.

Wilma is the most serious and ambitious employee in this guild and with her skills, she can easily be the next guild master. Though she lacks skills as a hunter, she can definitely act as a substitute master during my absence. As diligent as she is, she studied hunter’s reports in detail in order to be able to react in emergencies autonomously. I trust her.

“Well then, I’ll be seeing you.”

I bowed, left and walked back to my office as fast as I could. Closing the door behind me, I collapsed at the chair used to receive guests. Did I forget anything? The seal should work so it’ll be fine.

I can’t panic now. She seemed calm and collected so a calamity might not happen, but as much as possible…

As an elf, I was one of the youngest who was able to cultivate the four basic elements and I was the youngest to receive the title of the Forest Knight. Awarded only to those who have mastered three or more elements, I left the elven city and mingled with humans. I experienced more than most elves so I can say without a doubt that I have enough wisdom to protect this city.

However, this never happened before. Since the God War that happened from time immemorial, dark magic had never surface on any beings able to wield magic. Theories have been made and proven but ever since then, the dark element only surfaced in the night sky and the corruption of mana to create monsters. No living, breathing being ever possessed the element.

But now… this may be an impending disaster.

“I need to contact Seria as much as possible. Apply a stronger seal and call for a conference. Even if she doesn’t plan to use it, the Elohian purists will definitely want her.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and gently massaged it. Even if the God War was a myth, the dark element that shouldn’t exist is here. I must take measures.

“Seria, where did the wind take you?”

A sigh escaped my lips. I feel like I aged a hundred years more.