Occult Awakening: From Commoner to Archmage

Luca nodded in understanding. It was rare that Digger got serious. He was usually a very easygoing person, so seeing him like this was certainly something.

The air within the room was still, and it wasn't because of the lack of windows.

Digger's words made him think. He knew he was far from being strong or even remotely impressive, but he felt like he had underestimated the scale if even Digger described it like this.

The reminder pressed down on him heavier than he liked to admit, as though the weight of the wider world had suddenly leaned on his shoulders.

A second later the air returned to its previous state.

"Just be careful and you'll be fine. How's your progress with your spells?" he asked.

"Going quite good actually. The catalysts you gave me helped quite a lot. I might just need one or two more spells to balance everything out, but I'm rather satisfied so far."

He kept his words vague, not mentioning anything about the catalyst integration.

Luca paused. "Do you have any spells you could give me?"

"Hell no, I'm not a mage, remember?" Digger rolled his eyes. "I could help you acquire some, but it'll take a while. Most of my patrons in the market don't trade actual magic, just items."

He sighed at the response. It was unfortunate, but it was also worth a shot to ask. With that being said, he wasn't all that disappointed. He'd just gotten a full list of spells and potions from Thalia.

There was a high chance he'd fight something worth looking at in her repertoire.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I came here to ask you a few things. I guess you could say to get some clarity."

Luca hadn't forgotten what he came here for. His conversation with Thalia sparked some thoughts, and also reminded him he needed to develop his own plans further.

"What is it you want to know?"

"There's quite a lot."

He thought carefully about the questions he wanted to ask Digger before even arriving at the place. There were many thoughts swirling in his head, but he was able to get those down at least to a certain degree.

"Are you familiar with Thalia Cortese?"

"The merchant lady. Of course I am, she's a very strange one."

"That, she is."

He nodded, then explained everything that had happened with her thus far, including how she sent Vito and Jonny to kill him, and how he just met her not long before reaching the bar.

Digger didn't look all that surprised by most of what was said. His expression stayed flat, though his eyes glimmered faintly with thought.

"Hmm, I see. I thought I estricted my power quite a bit. I didn't expect them to be so affected by the manifestation."

"Yeah, they were pretty shaken up. It even caused Jonny to say a few words before I killed him. Vito was acting pretty erratic as well."

"Well, I can't help it. As long as you've taken care of it, right?"

Luca's eyes narrowed a little. He couldn't help but feel a little on edge when talking to Digger now. Someone who could incite three people into madness with a mere fraction of their power was dangerous, even if they were a friend for now.

"Aside from that, Thalia also mentioned hearing a name in the void that she found herself in. It was Ag—"

Silence. Digger had put a finger against his lips in a shushing pose.

"Do not complete the name. Even I don't know what will happen if you say it out loud. Just don't for good measure."

"I understand."

It was exactly what the man spoke about earlier. Luca stared at him with apprehension and a mixture of curiosity. A suspicion that had been at the back of his mind finally came to the surface.

"You're not… a Knight are you?"

The man sat up in his bunny nightwear and sighed. Luca also just noticed the bunny-eared sandals he wore.

"I am not. You're very smart to have figured all of this out with the limited information, but I think it's best you steer away from this line of questioning.

"Strange things happen when you mention the planets, and some effects are more visible than others. I don't want your head to explode or something. When you're stronger, you may ask again."

Luca felt a little smug, but he extinguished it. Right now, he'd just confirmed one of the biggest mysteries to him at least. He would take Digger's advice and fill in the gaps when he was stronger.

With that out of the way he could focus on the meat of the issue.

"Aside from all of that, I also got some really interesting information from Thalia."

He explained the intricacies of the mad woman's plans, as well as added his own observations to everything. The words spilled from him in a steady recount, sometimes sharp and sometimes uncertain, but Digger listened to all of it without interruption.

"That's more or less it."

Digger massaged his chin, falling into thought for a few seconds.

"Her goal is Liore and Styria? Or at least well past the Empire. Not bad… not bad at all. It'll be a bit hard to dodge the Inquisition for so long, and not to mention make it past the Styrian March. Believe me, it's incredibly difficult. Her goal is simple and achievable. Many before her have done so."

Luca had selectively omitted some information from what he told Digger out of sheer cautiousness and for the sake of conciseness. The most key part was that Luca was part of the goal and was helping her achieve her freedom.

The man continued. "And on the Saintess festival as well, eh? That would certainly propel her to great heights if she manages to succeed. Days like that are great for advancement."

'That's exactly what I need!'

And now all of the conversation thus far led to the real reason why he came here.

"That's precisely what I came here for. What exactly are the advancement requirements for becoming a first degree mage?"