Among the thirteen mages in the mage camp, most of their magic had been taught by Julie.
But it was all basic. Even she did not understand anything too advanced.
Magic was far too profound, and far too varied. It came in all kinds and all types.
Only a very small number of people could solve that problem through talent alone.
Lux had already performed extremely well. Aside from having difficulty controlling her magic, once she truly came into contact with the right methods, she began to reveal her talent.
Her light magic, Light Binding, Prismatic Barrier, Lucent Singularity, Final Spark, had basically all been researched by herself.
It was no different from feeling her way across a river by stepping on stones.
Sona's magical talent was also an extremely special and rare kind. She drew inspiration from the voices in people's hearts, converted them into music, and then converted that music into magic.
In other words, unless someone's talent was especially high, it was basically impossible to comprehend magic by relying on oneself.
From the current situation, what the camp lacked even more was someone with a deep reserve of magical knowledge.
That made Luke immediately think of Frey.
This shaman priestess from the Freljord, strictly speaking, a shaman priestess could be understood as a branch of mage.
It was also a position that required a certain level of magical talent.
Frey was not especially proficient with magic. What she was better at was the dark magic she had mastered through so many years of traveling across Runeterra.
But that same journey through all corners of the world had also allowed her to accumulate quite a bit of magical knowledge.
Having her serve as the current mentor of the mage camp seemed to be the most suitable choice.
On this trip, Luke and the others ate lunch at the mage camp, stayed a while longer, and only then set out to return to the capital.
On the way back to the city, it was obvious that Lux was very happy. After spending time with them, she could feel that everyone in the camp was kind and simple-hearted.
This made the goal in her heart grow clearer and clearer. She felt that one day, she would definitely be able to stand together with these people beneath the sun.
"What do you think of those people?"
Inside the carriage, Luke looked at Sona and asked.
Sona's bright eyes turned toward Luke. After thinking for a moment, she smiled, and her inner voice came through. "I think they're all pretty good."
"Is that so?"
Luke nodded, feeling relieved.
When it came to judging people, no one was better suited than Sona, who could hear the voices of people's hearts.
At the very least, if she could say that, it meant everyone in the camp was not bad by nature.
Building this camp had been an idea Luke had held for a very long time.
He had always believed that on this continent, magic was the mainstream power. It was not something that should be avoided or left unspoken.
After returning home, he had Quinn take Frey to the mage camp again and introduce her to the people there.
Once he was done with that, he lay down on the chair outside the courtyard, planning to bask in the sun for a while.
Not long after he lay down, footsteps sounded beside him.
Lux lay down on the rocking chair beside him and, after a long time, began sunbathing again. Her small face was full of comfort.
After a while, she finally asked, "What are you planning to do next?"
Luke's voice was lazy. "What do you mean, do next?"
Lux turned over and lay on her side, her eyes looking at him. "About the mage camp."
Luke still faced the sky and asked back, "What do you think should be done next?"
This question seemed to stump Lux. She turned back toward the sky, gazed up at the blue heavens, and silently began thinking.
Building the mage camp and taking in those suffering mages was definitely only the beginning.
There were still far too many problems to face next.
The biggest problem was, if the matter was exposed one day, were they supposed to take everyone and keep running?
How long would they run? How far? Until when?
After a long while, Lux turned back toward Luke and sighed. "I can't think of anything."
Luke smiled and said, "If you can't think of anything, then just take things as they come. Sometimes, making overly detailed plans may not necessarily be a good thing. We just need to be prepared to face unexpected situations. As for the rest, we'll leave it to our future selves to solve."
Lux sighed again. "Can my future self really handle it?"
Luke kept smiling as he said, "If you can't handle it, won't I still be here?"
Lux looked at him. When she saw Luke also turn onto his side and look toward her, for some reason, her heartbeat sped up slightly.
With just one sentence, she felt an inexplicable sense of peace.
She nodded obediently. "Then I'll be counting on you when the time comes."
All of a sudden, she did not quite dare to keep looking into those eyes. If she kept looking, her heart would always feel strange, as if it had been scratched by a cat.
So she turned back toward the sky, closed her eyes, and continued sunbathing, feeling that today was inexplicably hot.
Luke lay flat again and yawned. The warm sunlight spilled down, gentle enough not to sting his eyes. There was not a cloud in the sky, and it could be said to be extremely clear.
The little black dog found a sunny spot, rested his head on his two front paws, and sleepily felt time passing by. Not far from him was his new home, a doghouse.
The flowers and shrubs in the garden had bloomed, and Yurna held a pair of shears as she trimmed them little by little.
Poppy had run off somewhere to play with Kahina, while Katarina sat quietly off to the side reading a book.
Demacia had many books that Noxus did not have, and these books were enough for her to pass the time when she was bored.
From the other side came the sound of Sona playing music. Even when she was only practicing, her music sounded incomparably beautiful and pleasant.
Without realizing it, Luke felt drowsiness wash over him.
Then he closed his eyes and leisurely fell asleep.
Everything looked very peaceful and harmonious.
Under this sky, it seemed as if something was quietly brewing.
This sleep lasted about an hour. When he woke up, it was already evening.
A familiar-looking dusk appeared before his eyes. Today, there had not been a cloud in the sky, so there were no connected layers of rosy clouds to see. Even so, the sky alone was still extremely pleasing to the eye.
He sat up. Miss Crownguard was still asleep beside him.
When she slept, she liked to curl up. Her small body curled on the rocking chair, as tiny as a cat.
Her sweet sleeping face was peaceful, and against the backdrop of the dusk, it too looked like beautiful scenery.
As if she had timed it precisely, not long after Luke woke up, her long eyelashes also trembled lightly, and then she opened her eyes.
Her pair of sleepy eyes gradually cleared after seeing Luke. Then she rubbed her eyes, sat up, and yawned.
After that, she began spacing out.
Luke looked at her and smiled. He stood up and walked toward the main house, preparing to make some pre-dinner dessert.
The weather had warmed up again, and it was time to eat ice cream.
After the ice cream had frozen, he began preparing dinner.
Life continued in such a leisurely manner.
In the blink of an eye, another two days passed.
February 25.
Inside the palace.
After finishing reviewing a new memorial, Jarvan III reached his rest time.
Whenever this time came, he would sit by the window in his office and look at the scenery outside. Whether night or day, his gaze seemed able to pass through the palace and look out toward the capital.
Knock, knock, knock.
There was a knock at the door, followed by Xin Zhao's voice. "Your Majesty."
"Enter."
Jarvan III answered.
The door was immediately pushed open. Xin Zhao walked in and only reported once he had drawn closer. "The investigation into Queen Melli's matter from back then has already been stalled for some time. There seems to be a break in the trail. Many things can no longer be verified."
Hearing this result, Jarvan III was not surprised. He sighed quietly. "Nineteen years have passed. Things from nineteen years ago are far too distant. Since the investigation cannot continue, then let it stop here for now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Xin Zhao nodded softly.
Jarvan III asked, "Recently, have you noticed anything unusual in the capital?"
Xin Zhao thought for a moment, then said, "I have not discovered anything unusual. On the contrary, because of the Second Prince, the city's atmosphere has been quite thriving. These days, I have often been on the streets, and it feels as if I can sense the times changing."
Normally, he stayed by Jarvan III's side and very rarely left the palace.
These days, because he had often gone out, he had also felt a trace of surprise at the changes in the capital.
Electric lights, fireworks, newspapers, printing, bicycles, windmills, and even the steam engine recently developed by the Research Institute had already begun being put into use.
In addition, there were many other things, such as voice transmitters and gunpowder. The day before yesterday, he had gone to the Research Institute's development base and taken a look. There was also that huge steel beast. It was hard to imagine how much convenience it would bring people once it was put into operation.
Also, he had heard that the Research Institute had recently begun developing a weapon called a "gun," one that used gunpowder as ammunition and could be held and fired by hand.
All of this was very different from the capital in Xin Zhao's memory.
Even he had no choice but to sigh with emotion that the times were changing before his eyes.
And as a close subject of Jarvan III, he naturally knew who had caused all these changes.
When the Second Prince was mentioned, Jarvan III's face also revealed a smile. He sighed emotionally. "He is like a gift she gave me."
"For Demacia to welcome back the Second Prince is indeed a rare blessing."
Xin Zhao never spoke flattering words. These words came from the bottom of his heart.
Jarvan III smiled and said, "All right, let's not talk about that for now. I have something I want to ask you."
Xin Zhao said, "Please speak, Your Majesty."
Jarvan III then said, "Regarding my idea of preparing to pardon the mages, how do you view it?"
Xin Zhao answered without hesitation, "I support every decision Your Majesty makes. Moreover, in the long term, I believe Your Highness's decision is correct."
Before coming to Demacia, he had originally been Ionian.
Having lived on that continent of magic, he naturally understood better than anyone that magic depended entirely on how it was used.
If used well, it was a sharp tool.
If used poorly, it would devour its wielder.
However, there were many double-edged swords in the world, and magic was absolutely something whose advantages outweighed its drawbacks.
It was just that once he came to Demacia, he had to do as Demacians did.
Xin Zhao would not easily express his own views on the position toward magic. He was like an observer.
Jarvan III remained quiet for a while, then said, "You lived in Ionia before. Tell me about the magic there."
Now that he was old, he suddenly realized that perhaps he had lived his whole life only within Demacia.
As for what the outside world was like, he had never gone to see it, nor had he ever understood it.
Now, such a longing had arisen in his heart.
But he was no longer a young man, and he knew that a journey where one simply left on a whim was no longer very possible.
"Ionia…"
Xin Zhao's gaze flickered, as if he were recalling something from many, many years ago.
Ionia was a place of beautiful mountains and rivers, so beautiful that he still found it impossible to forget.
His earliest memories came from the Viscero, an Ionian fishing boat. Back then, he had followed the fishing boat out from Raikkon to fish at sea. He had been a diligent deckhand, carefully obeying every request from the elder.
The elder was a mage. He knew a special kind of magic that could always attract large schools of fish, ensuring the fishing boat never returned empty-handed.
However, the elder never caught too many fish. Each time, he stopped at the proper amount, enough for everyone to live on and supplement their household needs.
Sometimes, he would return young fish to the sea. With the help of his magic, those young fish would receive a certain degree of protection, preventing them from being unable to survive in the ocean.
In Xin Zhao's blurred impression, the elder had been a very gentle person. He often said that magic was not meant to hurt people, but to help people live more harmoniously with this land.
It was precisely because of this that Xin Zhao's own personality had also been influenced by him and was likewise very gentle.
Until one day, two Noxian warships appeared ahead of the fishing boat and closed in without a word.
That time, he saw for the first time the fierce side of magic shown by the usually gentle elder.
The elder, who had never used magic to harm others, broke his own bottom line. In order to protect them, he chose to fight Noxus.
Xin Zhao picked up a spear and bravely joined the battle.
Under the enhancement of magical power, he felt as if a strange sensation was lingering inside his body.
The fishing boat's counterattack surprised Noxus. However, before two warships, they ultimately failed to resist.
Because of his magical power, the elder was the first to be killed by Noxus.
As for the rest of them, they were taken back to Noxus.
From then on, Xin Zhao began his career as a gladiator. The hatred he held for Noxus in his heart never lessened.
After that came his meeting with Jarvan III.
Jarvan III silently listened to the end, then sighed. "He used magic to protect you, but failed to protect himself."
"Yes."
Opening up those distant memories still made Xin Zhao feel sadness. "So magic is not invincible, nor is it evil. The thing that decides whether it accomplishes good or bad has always been people."
Jarvan III listened and nodded slightly, his gaze flickering as he fell into thought.
At this point, he naturally understood.
Magic itself was lifeless.
The living beings who controlled that lifeless thing were the key to deciding whether magic was good or bad.
A good person, someone like that elder, would never abuse magic. He only used it to protect his companions and resist enemies.
Therefore, deciding whether a person was good or bad based only on whether they possessed magic was unfair.
"Prepare to convene a meeting."
Jarvan III gave the order.
"Yes."
Xin Zhao accepted the order and left.
After he was gone, Jarvan III returned to the window and looked at the scenery outside, his gaze flickering slightly.
All these days, he had not given up on his original idea of pardoning the mages.
Now that he had made several preparations, it was time to test the reaction of the officials once more.
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