St Chaos Healer

Ch 56 - The Grandmasters Hubbub

As we candidates stood at attention, the tension in the room was palpable. All eyes were fixed on the nine spatial doors, which were about to reveal the grandmasters in the flesh. The only sounds were our breathing and the eerie buzzing of the spatial dimension doors echoing throughout the chamber.

In the world of magic, the title of a grandmaster was reserved for only the most accomplished mages. These mages had reached the highest tier of the "True mage" category, and their divine spirit had grown and developed its own sentience. Although mages could make contracts with divine spirits and gain access to their skills, the spirits themselves remained dormant and unconscious most of the time, only occasionally communicating with their hosts through cryptic messages.

To fully awaken the divine spirit and become a grandmaster, mages had to grow stronger and develop their mana heart through experience. Those who successfully awakened their divine spirits were granted the revered title of grandmaster and were known for their incredible power and knowledge. In fact, grandmasters were held in such high regard that they were often regarded as heroes by nations and people alike.

The spatial doors fluctuated and I saw feet appear from the dimension, followed by the arrival of a tall, muscular man with short, cropped hair and a perpetual scowl on his face. He had fiery red hair tied up in a ponytail style with a rugged beard.

The man wasted no time before speaking up. "Old man, how dare you make me wait so long?" he growled as he entered.

Sigurd kept a calm appearance and responded,

"I apologize for keeping Grandmaster Travis and the other grandmasters waiting. I had some important head mage duties to attend to, which took longer than expected. But now that I've taken care of those pesky little details, we can proceed with the ascension ceremony."

Grandmaster Travis, also known as the Rowdy Mad Dog of the Bloodfire academy, is a notorious figure in the kingdom. He's infamous for all the wrong reasons and his antics make headlines in the newspaper almost every week. Here are some examples:

One time, the Mad Dog protected a city from ruffians but his attacks caused widespread destruction and even death. He simply shrugged it off as 'collateral damage' for the greater good, leaving the city a barren wasteland.

Another time, he taught some villagers a lesson by evaporating their only source of water - a lake - just because they couldn't serve him their famous ale. The villagers had to abandon their homes to find a new place to live.

Then there was the headline about Governor Shelby's daughter marrying Mad Dog. In reality, he had kidnapped her and forced her to join his harem. When the governor tried to take action, the Bloodfire academy simply replaced him the following week.

The only reason Travis gets away with his crap is that Travis's brother is the head principal of the Bloodfire academy, and Travis himself belongs to a noble house with strong ties to the royal family. Even Travis's own colleagues steer clear of him to avoid getting mixed up in his troubles.

Travis scowled at Sigurd's nonchalant response. "Just an apology for wasting my time? Do you take me for a fool, old man?"

Sigurd remained silent, unfazed by Travis's anger.

"Stop your blabbering, Mad Dog," a woman's voice interjected. "The first thing I hear when I enter here is your howling. Cut the old head mage some slack. It's not like you had anything better to do anyway."

The woman who spoke was stunning, with black hair, bright red eyes, and a curvy figure that commanded attention. She carried herself with grace and a serious expression on her face.