The Bizarre Wizarding World

Or perhaps it was the strange scars on his body that enveloped and devoured him like a tide, plunging him into deep suffocation.

The fear of the unknown, the fear of death, had long hovered over him like an incredibly dense cloud of lead.

But now it was time for liberation, and a look of relief appeared on Orkot's silent face as he continued to ask Colin,

"Your Excellency, you may now pronounce judgment on me."

This time it was Colin who was somewhat puzzled as he looked at the excellent research subject before him and asked,

"Why should I judge you? Have you committed some unforgivable sin?"

"But sir, I always have a lust for blood within me! Although I haven't eaten any of the cave plants for almost a year and a half, which has caused my strength to wane, this urge has not only failed to dissipate but has grown even stronger...

I'm afraid that if I continue like this, there will come a day when I will betray the knight's code and turn into a monster, so it's better to take action now, while I haven't yet done something unforgivable..."

"That's a matter for the future," Colin interrupted Orkot's incessant talking, pressing his brow.

Looking at Orkot's youthful face, he finally understood what was going on.

— Orkot was just an ordinary young man on the verge of being crushed by fear.

"I will not do anything to you for something that hasn't happened yet nor am I interested in passing any kind of judgment,"

Colin added, without sarcasm or consolation.

He paused and continued looking at Orkot, "However, I might need your cooperation with some research later on... um, as a reward, I can grant you a reasonable request."

"This is an offer that cannot be refused, so you can now think carefully about what you need my help with."

Having said this, Colin turned and picked the meatball grass with care and preserved it safely.

These plants and Orkot represented the future of the knight's path!

The only pity was that Orkot was the only research material... Should he go to the Wood Family to capture some more?

Colin shook his head; of course, he wouldn't do that; he would just find some death row prisoners later and have them practice the Giant Mountain Breathing Method.

It's just that it might take a longer time since, with the assistance of the cave plants, it took Orkot six years to advance to a Great Knight.

Orkot stood in place, dumbfounded.

Colin's indifferent attitude and the difference from the scenario he had anticipated left him momentarily unable to react.

Thinking of the murderous desires that tormented him every once in a while, thinking of the purple-black "Demon" starting to spread from his heart, Orkot felt somewhat faint.

It seemed... none of this was as serious in the Wizard's eyes as he had imagined?

This young man, who grew up in a peasant household and devoted his youth to knight training, felt a somewhat light-hearted emotion in his heart.

"I will cooperate with your research," he said loudly, as if he had found his courage.

Although the word "research" sounded somewhat scary to him, it was still much better than endless fear and worry.

"So, have you decided what you want me to help you with?" Colin asked again.

Orkot paused, carefully contemplating whether he had any wishes.

But his biological parents were dead, his foster parents, who were farmers, had moved away from Intuo City after receiving the property given by the Wood Family, and although the Wood Family was large, he had no friends...

As his thoughts churned, Orkot still felt at a loss.

"It's okay, this promise will always be valid; you can think about it some more," Colin reassured.

But that was when Orkot suddenly thought of something and spoke up.

His voice echoed quietly in the deep cave.

…

The next day, dawn was just breaking.

There was an uproar at the Wood Family.

"Orkot was favored by the Official Wizard and taken as a servant!?"

"It's just temporary, he might come back. And after all, he's just a servant; what's the big deal..."

"That's an Official Wizard we're talking about; apart from the caves, you can't even find one in Intuo City!"

People's chatter was as noisy as boiling water.

"Quiet," Conmonds, sitting on the bench, called out and turned his head to gaze at Orkot and asked in a soft voice:

"Orkot, is this true?"

Orkot nodded silently.

He felt the gazes around him but didn't know how to express his inner emotions.

There was a faint vanity, the pleasure of being envied, especially seeing the green-faced Onions carrying a spear at the moment... but even more so, his feelings were mixed.

Orkot knew in his heart that he was not really taken as a servant by Colin but as research material...

With this in mind, he silently thanked Colin again in his heart; he hadn't asked for this pretense, but Colin thoughtfully offered it, granting him such a dignified departure.

"It's good news, kid."

After receiving confirmation from Orkot, Conmonds's wrinkled face showed a smile, and he nodded in satisfaction.

Faced with this kind of amiable expression from Conmonds that he had never shown before, Orkot just froze for a moment and then continued to speak his final words.

"Elder Conmonds, aside from reporting this matter to you today, I actually have a request."

"Go ahead," Conmonds said in a gentle tone.

"I want Onions to give up on Martina," Orkot said gravely.