9. The Race Without Divine Protection
Teacher Joseph adjusted his glasses perched on the edge of his eyes and nodded.
“You’re very observant, young lady.”
“Yes. Within our understanding, magic branches into two distinct forms. Aside from the arcane magic wielded by mages, there is divine magic.”
“However, divine magic is a craft mastered only by priests who place their faith in the gods, which doesn’t concern you or me.”
“After all, we humans are a race without the patronage of any racial deity; we must rely solely on ourselves!”
In the age of ancient Eldor, the worship of conceptual gods such as the god of war, the god of knowledge, or the god of wealth was still rare.
Such deities either had yet to come into being or their veneration was confined to civilized races like elves and dwarves, unknown to savage races such as goblins, gnolls, and humans.
Indeed, in this primordial era, humans were themselves considered among the savage races.
The great racial gods were the true dominants of the world.
The blood of Corielon, the “Heart of the Supreme,” transformed into elves; Moradin, the “Hammer of the Mountain,” watched over the dwarves dwelling in the peaks; Bahamut, the “Lord of the North Wind,” ruled over the metallic dragons; Tiamat, the “Five-Headed Dragon Queen,” symbolized the chromatic dragons… Even the barbaric orcs, goblins, and gnolls each had their own racial deities.
Yet, for reasons unknown, at least during the era of ancient Eldor, no god had yet stepped forth to claim the creation of humanity.
“Yes, Teacher, we will work hard to learn our lessons and become mages!”
Little Gret jumped high, raising her small fist as she swore her vow.
In the cramped and humble classroom, other children also leapt up, raising their hands to declare their noble ambitions!
The teacher shrugged and smiled.
“Becoming a mage is not so easy.”
“Arcane magic is a sophisticated discipline that demands intelligence, logical thinking, and supernatural talent all at once!”
“Among you, only a small fraction will have the chance to master even a single tier of spells and be recognized by Eldor as true, certified mages!”
“The majority will only grasp one or two apprentice-level tricks, or perhaps not even manage the most basic cantrip, such as Light.”
Hearing this, Little Gret’s ears, which had perked up eagerly, drooped instantly, and disappointment settled in.
So, becoming a mage was that difficult?
Yet, almost immediately, the extinguished flame within her heart rekindled.
“If some children can become mages, why can’t it be me?”
Most of the other children in the classroom shared the same thought.
They yearned to study hard, striving to become true mages!
Seeing their eager, spirited faces, Joseph, now over forty, felt a wave of emotion.
“What a fortunate group of children.”
“Among them, many have the chance to become true mages, to leave the lands their ancestors have lived on for generations, and to change their destinies.”
“Just like me, born in a village on the surface below, but noticed by a great mage and taken to the heavens to study magic…”
Indeed, Teacher Joseph himself was born in a surface village.
He spoke to the excited children:
“But children, rest assured, even if you don’t become true mages in the end, learning to read and mastering basic knowledge will still benefit you!”
He was met with the children's nodding heads, like little chicks pecking at grain.
Gazing at their respectful eyes and hearing their laughter, Joseph momentarily lost himself in thought.
He cherished this feeling of being revered by children.
In the kingdom of the high heavens, he was merely a low-ranking first-tier mage, with many surpassing him in status.
But in the rolling stone village below, he was the bearer of knowledge, infinitely respected by all children and villagers alike.
…
Days passed one after another.
In the days that followed, Little Gret and the other children studied together with the teacher who descended from the heavens.
Given the current productivity of human villages, it was impossible for the children to study full-time.
Therefore, they worked in the fields during the day and came to school to absorb knowledge in their free time.
As for Teacher Joseph, he carried a verdant green pouch from which he could pull out food at any time.
The teacher explained that this was an “Endless Ration Pouch,” a magical item created by mages that produced a daily ration for one person automatically.
Besides this, villagers would occasionally offer fresh fruit to Joseph to please and honor their visitor from the heavens.
During this time, Little Gret never forgot the beautiful dream of becoming a mage, and her desire to learn magic grew day by day.
After helping his parents with the farm work each day, he would eagerly absorb lessons in the modest classroom.
While learning to read, Little Gret discovered something that pleasantly surprised him:
He seemed to possess an innate understanding of language and script.
About half of the common tongue’s words could be memorized instantly after just one glance!
It was as if the memory of these words had been etched into his bloodline since long, long ago—awaiting to be awakened.