The White Wizard

Chapter 4

“Stop!!!” Arthur screamed, making Aria freeze midair with the book still in her hand.

Both women looked at him with confused expressions. But only Arthur truly understood what that book carried. He could not simply stand there and watch this Aria woman tear apart his destiny just to wrap bread.

“What the fuck?” Aria muttered while glaring at him.

Arthur remained terrified because the book she held was Chronicles Of The Lines — the first liturgical text containing numerous sectional spells and incantations.

“Please don’t tear it,” Arthur said quickly. “I’ve always wanted to read that book for a long time.” That was a lie. A very desperate lie.

Aria glanced at the book curiously before recoiling slightly.

“What language is this even?” she muttered. “I’ve never seen symbols like these before.”

“Do you want the bread wrapped in paper or should she dump them inside your fish basket?” Genevieve roared impatiently.

Arthur swallowed. “I will carry the bread in my clothes instead. Can I please have that book?” he pleaded carefully.

Genevieve stood up immediately and snatched the book from Aria’s hand. She examined it slowly but found absolutely no meaning within the strange symbols decorating the pages.

The language looked ancient and unsettling.

“So you understand these strange markings, huh?” Genevieve asked suspiciously. “What exactly is this book about?”

Arthur forced himself to remain calm.

“Oh... it’s honestly just a simple language,” he lied smoothly. “But the story itself isn’t interesting. It’s about a girl who fell in love with a monster. Honestly, it’s quite horrible to read.”

Arthur prayed silently that the woman would lose interest and hand the book back immediately.

He absolutely did not want Genevieve developing curiosity toward it. Worse still, she looked like the kind of person who genuinely enjoyed making people beg for things like dogs.

Unfortunately, the moment Genevieve raised her eyes toward him again, a wicked smirk slowly stretched across her face.

Arthur instantly felt uneasy.

“What?” he asked quickly.

Her smile widened further.

“You bring me two full baskets of fish tonight... or I burn this book,” she threatened calmly.

Arthur’s lips parted in complete shock.

“Where exactly do you expect me to get that from?” he asked innocently.

Genevieve shrugged carelessly.

“I don’t want to know. All I know is that I need two baskets of fish, or I burn this thing.”

Arthur narrowed his eyes at her.

“Why do you always have to be this wicked, Madam Genevieve?” he asked in disbelief.

Genevieve slowly walked back toward her seat while swaying her hair dramatically as though she were still some young maiden trying to attract admirers.

Arthur honestly wondered how an aged woman like her still carried such a dangerously strong feminine aura.

Aria quietly returned to arranging bread alongside the other maids, leaving Arthur and Genevieve trapped inside their strange little battle.

Arthur did not even realize when his lips slowly parted in amusement.

He kept staring at Genevieve in disbelief while she lazily fanned herself again.

Then suddenly, she snapped her gaze toward him and shouted—

“Aria! Bring me a burning torch!”

“Hey, hey, hey! Calm down, Madam. I’ll get the basket of fish!” Arthur pleaded immediately.

Genevieve furrowed her brows. “Who said a basket?” she sneered. “I said two baskets. Did someone rip your ears off?”

Arthur watched as Aria disappeared briefly into the inner room before returning with a burning piece of wood. He stared at the maid with narrowed suspicious eyes.

Why was this woman strangely more wicked than almost anyone he had ever met?

“Alright, alright!!! I’ll get you two baskets!” Arthur said quickly. “Just don’t burn the book, okay?”

“Then stop wasting my time,” Genevieve replied coldly. “I need those fish for tomorrow’s sauces.”

“I won’t delay,” Arthur assured her while still standing there nervously.

Genevieve stared at him for a moment before raising one eyebrow.

“You’re still here,” she snapped. “Or are you planning to magically produce fish from thin air?”

Arthur hesitated before speaking carefully. “Tell Aria to take back the burning stick first.”

He needed certainty. Otherwise, the devil herself might possess Genevieve and convince her to burn the book anyway. Luckily, Genevieve agreed.

Aria rolled her eyes before carrying the flaming torch back into the inner room. Only then did Arthur finally breathe properly. He nodded once before stepping outside the bakery.

The moment he entered the streets, his heart began pounding heavily as reality struck him. Where exactly was he supposed to get two baskets of fish overnight?

As Arthur wandered through the lively night market region, the atmosphere around Sysia remained beautifully alive.

Groups of people moved through the pathways while others walked alone beneath the glow of burning torches fixed along the massive stone walls.

The illumination made the night strangely beautiful. But Arthur himself remained deeply troubled.

He had finally found the first ancient book again, and with it, he could easily locate the remaining texts eventually. Losing it now would be disastrous.

Arthur continued walking while quietly admiring the beauty of Sysia once more.

The city was massive. The walls were enormous. And yet, somehow, one of the most expensive things within the city remained the exact same thing Arthur desperately needed now. That's fish.

Fishermen were highly valued in Sysia despite the ocean being close to the city itself.

Perhaps it was because the people of Sysia loved fish obsessively. Fish was never wasted here. Everyone ate fish. Everyone desired fish.

That alone was why Arthur secretly believed Genevieve had been unfair when she indirectly called him jobless.

As Arthur wandered deeper through the crowded market lanes, he suddenly saw two little boys fighting brutally over a plate of fried fish.

The way they attacked each other over mere food looked genuinely dangerous.

If not for the intervention of an old man dressed in yellow raiment with a long white beard, the children might have injured themselves badly.

And sadly enough, Arthur realized that same fish was exactly what he was now desperate enough to steal.

Worse still, he noticed there were barely any fish shops around. Even uncooked fish seemed strangely scarce throughout the market.

No wonder Genevieve wanted them so badly. But when Arthur thought about it carefully, it felt more like the woman wanted the fish for profitable business rather than survival.

Moreover, there was simply no possible way Arthur could get fish directly from the water tonight. Most importantly, he did not even have fishing equipment.

Deeply despondent, Arthur slowly crossed a massive wooden bridge stretching above the dark waters below.

Then his eyes widened when he looked ahead. A huge boat overflowing with fish was slowly rowing toward the shore.

Arthur instantly felt renewed energy burst through him. Without hesitation, he dashed forward recklessly, avoiding pedestrians along the pathway.

In the process, he accidentally slammed into a fat woman who immediately screamed insults after him.

But Arthur did not care. He cared about the fish. He cared about reclaiming his book. 

When he finally descended from the wooden bridge, he quickly hid himself beside a cart while the attached horse stomped the ground lazily.

The moment the fishing boat touched the shore, several men immediately rolled a large metal cart toward it.

People nearby gathered curiously to observe the fishermen’s catch. That alone showed how highly successful fishing was admired within Sysia.

Truly, the boat was filled completely to the brim. Arthur almost felt as though these fishermen possessed magical powers themselves, summoning fish directly from the ocean.

Arthur personally hated fish because it always tasted bitter on his tongue. But here in Sysia? Fish looked capable of causing murder. 

Arthur quietly watched as the fishermen gradually unloaded basket after basket from the overflowing boat into the large metal cart.

Then his gaze slowly shifted toward the cart itself. There was absolutely no way he could simply grab two baskets openly.

Unless...

Unless he created some kind of chaos. A distraction actually.

“Carez ta na enslutch te eth...” Arthur whispered quietly beneath his breath while slightly stretching his had to the cart.

Immediately, the man receiving baskets into the metal cart suddenly jumped backward in terror.

The metal cart had begun crushing inward violently beneath some unseen force.

“What’s happening?!!!” One of them screamed.

The fishermen instantly abandoned their positions and rushed toward the strange metallic destruction in complete confusion.

And unfortunately...

The disturbance did not only attract the fishermen. It attracted the attention of everyone nearby as well.