Chapter 104: The Bard

Green rubbed his chin and pursed his lips, trying hard to remember something. Then he shook his head and held out his hands. “It doesn’t look like it! There is no special panic like before the war in The South. There is no atmosphere like the Markin Lordship, where the whole city felt like an army.”

At Green’s words, George shook his right index finger, clearly not taking a side. “Maybe they are just getting ready! Besides, different countries act differently anyway.”

“Hey! Why do you like to bring up war so much today?” Green asked, full of confusion, not understanding George’s recent behavior.

‘Looks like Green doesn’t really understand the situation between the countries around us! Could it be that news inside their country is truly blocked so perfectly that even such big movements leave no trace? Or did Green just not notice this? I thought I could at least hear a little bit of news. Never mind. Since he doesn’t know, I’ll follow my dad’s advice and not let him get involved for now. Let me think about how to explain this.’ To hide his true intentions, George had to pretend to look troubled. “I am fourteen years old now, so I will definitely be on the battlefield this year. That is why I am more sensitive to these things. After all, it is my first time, so I am a bit nervous.”

Seeing George’s act, Green patted his chest with a look that said, “Thank goodness I am lucky. I am not the family heir, and I am not following the Knight path. I do not have to bear so much responsibility like you guys.”

If George was not pretending, he really wanted to punch that annoying face.

Ultrad, who had found the hidden books, patted George on the shoulder from behind and started a long lecture. “Can’t you wait a little longer for that kid outside? George, the book you wanted is here! Remember to keep it safe. You should know that copying these two books took a lot of time. You wouldn’t even want to pay us money to compensate us…”

George turned around, flipped through the slightly yellowed pages of the two books, and after confirming there were no errors or human damage, he put them into his money bag. He then looked back at Green and asked the old man in front of him in a negotiating tone. “Thank you, sir. If it’s the same thing, there is no need to trouble others again. The friend behind me probably came here to borrow books too. Could you trouble yourself to help him as well?”

Under the old man’s complaining gaze, George had to flee quickly and give his spot to Green behind him. Then he quickly shook off the goosebumps that had covered his body.

Ultrad, who had taken the other person’s name tag, looked at Green with great caution. “You won’t make things difficult like that kid to increase my workload, will you?”

“No, my goal is very clear! I need The Book of Lyrical Sonnets and The Anthology of the Silver Age.” Green made a friendly expression and said in a gentle and kind voice.

Seeming very familiar with these books, Ultrad gave an answer immediately after Green finished speaking. “The Book of Lyrical Sonnets has different versions by Alexandra Sargent, Crotilda Balfour, Kenelm Habishaw, and Benedita Bodich.”

Green thought for a moment and asked, “Then let’s choose Alexandra Sargent’s version! Anyway, I will have to read all four books one by one eventually. And please do not forget The Anthology of the Silver Age.”

“Wait here!” After dropping these words, Ultrad disappeared again.

The idle teenagers started talking again. This place was not like the library before they traveled through, which required silence.

George asked with a bit of surprise. “Oh, have you started exploring this field recently?”

“Yes! After traveling outside, I have seen many things and gained some personal feelings and insights. I feel I can now fully master poetry in this field.” Green showed a nostalgic expression, though the pride in his eyes was unavoidable.

“So I must congratulate you on reaching the mid-level of the Red Iron Rank,” George said with a smile that felt truly reassuring.

“Yes! I have already touched that level, so I must stabilize it quickly. In this way, my power level will finally catch up with yours.” After being suppressed for so long, Green, who finally felt like he could hold his head high, was extremely happy.

Green Marden Farnsworth was the second son of the Baron Farnsworth family in the East. To outsiders, the Farnsworth family seemed to have a territory with no special resources. The strength shown by the family appeared so average, with nothing dazzling and no sign of decline. In short, they were just a common face.

As the second son, Green had no right to inherit. When he grew up, he would be sent out by the family to explore the world with their support. According to Green, to avoid starving in the future, he started studying hard for his future life from a young age. Being born in a Baron’s family, Green originally had enough material conditions to walk the path of a Knight, but unfortunately, he was too slender.

To put it another way, he was too weak. Even if he became a Knight, under the same conditions, his strength and endurance would be much lower than others. Moreover, his speed of improving strength was also much slower than others, so the chance of becoming a Formal Knight was not that big. Under this situation where the return did not match the effort, the Farnsworth family, which was not wealthy, had no plan to train him on this path.

Fortunately, their family introduced Sorcerer bloodlines through marriages in previous generations, and Green’s bloodline awakened when he was six years old. However, it seemed to be because the bloodline was thin—Green’s great-grandmother was only a Sorcerer of the Red Iron Rank. Although he was sent to a special Sorcerer tutor to learn, the improvement was not very good.

The so-called Sorcerers cast spells through innate power, not through training and research. Their magic relied less on logic and more on intuition or pure willpower. They knew fewer spells than Mages and gained powerful spells more slowly than Mages, but they could cast spells more freely than Mages and did not need to choose or prepare spells before casting. Sorcerer casting was like a poet writing poetry, the result of talent plus practice.

Sorcerer talent relied more on inherited bloodlines than Knights. It not only affected the speed of power improvement but also the difficulty of future bottlenecks and the types of spells that could be obtained. Seeing Green’s performance over the years and that he had basically obtained only Enchantment and Illusion spells, his tutor believed his Sorcerer bloodline came from Fey Creatures, so he suggested Green become a Bard.

The so-called Bards were a profession that could summon magic from art itself. They were extreme actors; magic was just one side of a grand show in their hands. As masters of Charm and Illusion, they could weave moving stories or captivating poems to keep the audience mesmerized for hours. In battle, they applied the same skills, but instead of bringing joy to the audience, they performed to destroy enemies.

Even on a real battlefield, their magical songs and speeches were excellent ways to boost morale and remove fear. However, as Bards, they almost always wandered around, collecting various local legends and spreading them everywhere. They used music to cast magic, making listeners cry one moment and happy the next. This was the life of traveling the four seas.

However, the reputation of this group could be good or bad. Because they often played roles such as diplomats, coordinators, messengers, scouts, or even spies to achieve their goals depending on the environment and the people they met. For this reason, every Bard was versatile. They could often fight with swords, bows, or magic. At the same time, they earned rewards with their broad talents, including artistic skills, mystical knowledge, and knowledge of lost history.

Speaking of being a Bard, Green could be said to be very talented. His unique voice gave him an attractive singing throat, and his talent for Enchantment and Illusion spells made his music magic even more clever. At the same time, his Noble status made it much easier for him to acquire knowledge compared to Bards born as Commoners. He could also receive professional training in the use of weapons.

According to his own words, three years ago, the teachers in the group of Bards in Karada had finished teaching him. Among them, he had exchanged many of their best tricks for some knowledge that Commoners could hardly get. Later, he found that he could not make progress in Karada, so he started the path of traveling the four seas this year.

However, the years before switching majors could not be made up, and there were no famous masters to guide him. After entering the Red Iron Rank, Green, who was almost self-taught, always had a gap in strength compared to his few friends. Before this, George, the youngest among them, was even higher in rank than him. In a fight, a Bard, a profession with strong support abilities, could not possibly be compared to a Knight, a war machine. Therefore, Green’s heart had borne very great pressure. Now, finally, one more shortcoming was filled, and the joy in his heart was truly hard for outsiders to understand.

“Young man, here are your books. The deposit and rental fee are the same as the previous one.” Ultrad placed one thin and one thick book on the counter.

“Thank you!” After George also handed over Gold Coins to complete the borrowing, the two left the Bokabu Temple together.

Old Ultrad then recorded and saved the two name tags that served as identification. Finally, he could turn his gaze back to the books in his hands.