Chapter 108: Our Holy Oak Priests Are Bound by Vows

Upon entering, Louis discovered that the place was vast. Some areas resembled an auction house, selling various goods, while others were like a tavern, equipped with a bar and assorted seating.

The bar was adorned with numerous notice boards, wanted posters, and task boards. However, most of the placards were empty, and the task area was sparsely populated—mostly by women or nuns resting during the day. They would occasionally lift their skirts, revealing their legs, which left Helen and Kate blushing with a mix of embarrassment and curiosity; it was clear that most of these women were streetwalkers. It seemed the adventurers who came here weren't exactly here for business.

Some did come for business, though—to sell goods. After all, scholars who toyed with magic were generally quite wealthy.

"Sir, over a decade ago, this place was teeming with people," Ron said, looking at the sparsely occupied tables with a touch of melancholy.

In those years, those seats were always filled with adventurers waiting in line. They would sit, polishing their guns, drinking, and chatting, patiently waiting for a mage to be hired by their party to solve a predicament, or to accompany them on an expedition or archaeological dig.

In that era, a party could only be called an "expedition team" if they had a mage. Without one, they were merely a "mercenary band." Whether it was overseas exploration, puzzle-solving, translation, or archaeology, mages were essential. They were often the core of an adventure team, serving as the wise guides who pointed the way forward and the eyes of the group. A team without a scholar was like a small boat in a storm without a navigator, perpetually at risk of being swallowed by a vortex or dashed against the rocks.

People like Ron were the type who could use their wisdom to lead a team to overcome seemingly insurmountable difficulties. Many things became simple when a mage was involved. Once upon a time, kings of many small nations frequently sent envoys to invite mages to solve their various problems. In this Age of Exploration, strange and peculiar occurrences were abundant.

The most famous of these was the "Great Mage Edward" and his students from over three hundred years ago. They accompanied the Belife family in search of the Fountain of Youth. It remains unknown if they found it, nor is it clear what legendary adventures they experienced or what they witnessed. But the Belife family is illustrious today, which suggests that Edward succeeded.

Louis had heard the name Edward mentioned by Ossicris; he was a renowned Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at the Holy Oak Academy. However, he wasn't famous for his formidable power, but for being a Muggle-born. Moreover, he was a true scholar—a Grand Academic of Holy Oak, the first wild wizard to ever achieve such a title. His student was now a Dean at the Holy Oak Academy.

But today, no ordinary people were admitted to the academy to be taught, nor were there any instances of commoners traveling and adventuring alongside wizard companions. Everything had changed.

Listening to Ron and the others, Louis couldn't help but recall what Harold had once told him. The era from a dozen years ago was the time of the Witch Queen Francesco. At that time, the Ministry of Magic allowed a portion of wizards to integrate into the civilian world—but that wasn't the main point. The crucial factor was that, in that era, magic enthusiasts could study at places like Holy Oak! They brought back a wealth of precious knowledge, allowing teams of scholars to possess beacons of wisdom, enabling ordinary people to use intellect to overcome the impossible.

But now, magic and knowledge had been withdrawn from the real world by the wizards and, in many cases, completely destroyed.

"Many people have left. They took many books with them and then vanished... More and more people are leaving the association. This has become just a place to drink, chat, and relax," Bach said with a sigh. "Now, there are many 'mages' like us in the guild, but few are as lucky as the three of us..."

"Many of those people died in legendary experiences, leaving behind only the reputation of being frauds. Only we, the lucky survivors, can barely maintain the dignity of mages."

The three of them exchanged glances and shook their heads with sighs.

"However, things have been a bit livelier these past two months. Quite a few people have joined our Mages' Association." Ron smiled and looked toward a spot not far away, waving a greeting.

Louis looked over and saw a group of Yordles sitting at a table drinking tea. They were dressed in long gray trench coats and wearing gray felt hats, appearing quite mysterious. A few were coolly polishing small wands. They looked "fierce in a cute way"—it seemed that, aside from a couple of old hands, most had never seen real blood. They lacked the imposing presence and killing intent of the Yordle sharpshooters outside, nor did they possess the seasoned, calm demeanor of Ron and his companions.

They certainly lacked the ability to deal with Spirit Knights, Blood Demons, or Wolf Demons—that would require twenty Ministry of Magic investigators led by Flower Cards. Yet, the mage Kadi, who was skilled at handling blood poison and wolfsbane and was feared by the sharpshooters, acted incredibly reserved and sycophantic in front of this group, hoping to coax a real spell out of them.

Clearly, those with true ability lacked the tools, while those with a treasure trove of tools lacked true experience. Ultimately, both types had become novices. It seemed, however, that the young Yordles held some respect for Kadi; it appeared they had worked together in the past. It was only because the current topic was so sensitive that they were deliberately ignoring Mr. Kadi.

"Louis, those look like investigators from the Discipline Division," Helen whispered.

Louis nodded and led the group over. As they approached, he overheard this conversation:

"Sir Kadi, we really don't understand magic... ahem, well, Sir Kadi, we have regulations at Holy Oak—you know, it's not convenient for us."

Ron and the others, who had just walked up, stared at Louis as if they had seen a ghost.

*Damn it, why are they copying my lines?*

Louis blinked, looking at the Yordles before him. The Yordles looked back at them simultaneously. Both sides stared at each other for a long moment, suddenly feeling a bit confused—why did they look so familiar?

"Boss?" one of the youngest Yordles suddenly called out. "What are you doing here?"

Louis suddenly remembered; he did recognize this young Yordle. They had hung out at the Fox Lounge a while ago—he was the little Yordle leader who had started by dancing on the long table and later led the Foxes in riding tricycles. He was one of the most outstanding members of the new generation of young Yordles, the type who could challenge Daniel—though he couldn't actually beat him.

However, even outstanding newcomers couldn't just wander into sensitive places like the Mages' Association. If caught by the "Discipline Division" or the "Mysterious Office of Retirement"—which operated independently of all departments and handled everything—they would be punished. In severe cases, they might even be sent to the Magic Prison. So, presumably, this little guy must have started an internship at the Discipline Division.

Sure enough, the twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-old Yordle inspector, hearing his subordinate call someone "Boss," smacked him twice on the back of the head.

"Who are you calling Boss? Who are you calling Boss?"