NOVEL NEXT Chapter 126: Trained Sword Slaves
Killian then continued asking questions and thankfully, he asked questions that would make them think harder and not just recall the lessons they learned.
This way, Hayden obtained more information about the Magicians…
'This is a lot better than I thought…' Hayden thought as he believed that these Magicians didn't seem godly to him anymore.
Although they were still very strong individuals and feared by many people, he realized that these gifted people still had a lot of problems they had to face.
After some time, Killian pointed to another female slave. He considered what to ask for a moment, and soon, he smiled.
"Your master is casting a Water Vortex in an enclosed room. The spell is sucking in all the air. What do you do?"
The female slave was a bit confused about the question. After all, it seemed dangerous and quite reckless for the magician to do that.
"Break the nearest window or door to equalize pressure. If that's impossible, disrupt the caster—even if it means hurting them."
"Why?"
"Because a collapsing vortex implodes. And I'd rather not have my lungs crushed inward."
Killian's smirk widened. "Finally, someone who understands beyond my lessons."
***
After hours of grueling interrogation, Killian finally felt satisfied.
"You've all improved. A month ago, half of you would've died in the first five minutes of serving a real mage. Now? Maybe only a third."
A few slaves exhaled in relief while the others still felt tense.
"But knowledge is worthless without execution," Killian continued. "So let's see if you can apply what you've learned."
He snapped his fingers and used a simple Spell.
The far wall of the chamber started moving.
It soon revealed a training ground that they had never seen before. This training ground, however, was quite different.
With Hayden's Ocularis Lens, he immediately realized that it was actually a training ground for Magicians.
They also noticed a few wooden puppets or perhaps dummies for practice.
"I will control the dummy and you will act as the protector. You will be identifying and neutralizing the danger. There will be a punishment for those failed.
The slaves exchanged wary glances as they were also unsure whether they could perform well.
Soon, Killian chose Hayden to perform first.
Then, he controlled a small dummy, who had a similar stature to a 7 or 8-year-old child.
"This dummy will be your master." Killian said as he pointed at Hayden to stand about three meters away from his 'master'
Seeing that Hayden was ready, Killian began.
Through a puppetry spell, Killian controlled the dummy perfectly and Hayden analyzed it immediately.
Killian then chanted a Spell that the dummy was about to cast. With this, Hayden realized that the dummy was about to use Mana Bullet, a Zero-Circle Spell.
In most cases, Mana Bullet Spell doesn't cause problems for magicians at all. However, there were cases of younger mages messing the spell up if they were pushing too hard or if their physique could no longer bear the Mana Exhaustion.
If that happened, instead of releasing the Mana Bullet far away, it could explode close to their hands.
'Lens…' Hayden said to himself as he allowed his Ocularis Lens to help him make a decision.
Thankfully, as the Lens noticed signs of disruption based on the Mana Fluctuations and how the dummy was trembling in their right hand, Hayden moved swiftly.
He used his movement technique to lock on the dummy's right wrist and force it downward in a textbook-perfect disruption.
Of course, the danger was still there, so Hayden continued. When the Mana Bullet was disrupted, it would still be released but close to the hand of the caster…
Hayden waited for the perfect timing, and as soon as Hayden noticed that the Mana Bullet was released, Hayden pulled the dummy away in one swift motion.
Boom!
The Mana Bullet had exploded as expected!
'That's a lot stronger than I thought.' Hayden thought as he looked at the dummy in his hands. The dummy had no damages or injuries, showing that he had protected his master really well.
At this time, Hayden hoped that this wouldn't be his life every day once he started serving his 'master'. That would just be too exhausting.
"Good… That is what you're supposed to do. It could be risky if you're slow. But that's why you're taken here. You're the best students in your respective academies… It means that you're the best slaves for this."
Killian said but no one really wanted to hear that. Nonetheless, he ignored their feelings as always and continued the test.
Just like that, Killian controlled various sizes of dummies and used them to cast various Zero-Circle Spells for the Slaves to deal with.
He didn't really expect everyone to get a perfect score so even if a few of them made a mistake because of their slow decision-making, he just shamed and scolded them.
By dusk, the trial ended.
Most slaves had passed… A few of them just needed a little bit of correction...
'Great… I hope you all become a perfect Slave Companion and be sold for an expensive price…' Killian wished as he sent the slaves back to their cells.
***
A month quickly passed, and Killian was finally able to leave the Obsidian Tower without much worry. He was now confident that this batch of slaves was ready.
He adjusted the high collar of his mage's robe, which was showing his rank as a Second-Circle Enforcer of the Tower, and decided to unwind outside.
Just a few minutes after he started walking to a nearby town, a carriage rolled to a stop before him. It had a crest of House Mayore—a two-headed serpent coiled around a sword.
Clack…
The window slid down, revealing Lady Ellaine Mayore.
"Sir Killian, I trust this year's batch isn't as… disappointing as the last?"
Killian wryly smiled after hearing this... "My lady, this batch will be Slave Companions for a young Magician… The last batch was mostly meant for Warrior Slaves, meant to be bait or fight on the frontlines. They have different values."
Lady Ellaine shook her head as she heard this.
"You're right… But… Can you tell me now about the best Slave Companion I can get for my 6-year-old nephew… I want someone who could handle a lot of beatings…"