Blue Badge

The rest of the guards remain at Jason and Salin side. There are not many guards at the warden, the real army which is the royal guards are under the control of the Lords of Ceylon. The incident in the dungeon was long reported to the royal guards. After a while, the sounds of horses stomping the street getting nearer to the warden. More than a hundred of swordsman surrounded the warden, and few of them jump off from the horse walking past the Warden’s gate which was burned down by Jason’s fireball. The troop led by a shielded swordsman with his sword unarmed approaching the hall, so did all another swordsman. When the troop reaches the warden, realizing the situation, the shielded swordsman then pointed at Jason angrily: “Who are you to escape a prisoner from us! Surrender yourself!”

“Darn.” Jason cursed. He points out his finger with a light sparkle, an acidic laser light hits straight to the swordsman’s face, the sounds and pain of boiling and smokes from the melted face of the swordsman made him crawling on the ground screaming.

After doing so, Jason speaks gently to Salin, “Anyone, include the enemy, will never allow humiliating magician. Magician shall bow to no Kings. You don’t have to be nice to the rude ones.”

“Yes, master,” Salin answered in a low voice. The statement from Jason made everyone who presence in the hall sweats.

“Get him out of here; he is too noisy,” Jason demanded the troop of the swordsman that confronted him. They dragged the wounded swordsman out from the hall.

“Time is precious. Half an hour for all of you to find the one who arrested my student.” Jason pulls out a magical hourgla.s.s and places it on the table. Meanwhile, two shielded swordsmen enter the hall, judged on their appearance; they seem like a general. Jason and Salin got a closer look when the two approaching, they are tall, one with red hair, the other with gold hair. The one with gold hair felt the chill up from his spine after his glance at Jason who is still using the illuminate spell. Jason is clearly a fifth-grade magician judging from his robe; he has two markers of magic symbols to prove so. Who on earth will mess with such man?

Magician’s Robe has three categories of colors to define their grades. First to third grades are white, fourth to six grades are gray, and seven to nine are black. Whereas the magic symbols which mark on the robe define the level of magic spells one can cast. Jason the gray considerably to be the great magician; even the lords can’t simply offend.

The red-haired swordsman bows respectfully to Jason and demanded the surrounded guards: “All of you, get the one who related with this incident, I’ll subst.i.tute you from one that is missing.” The guards look at Jason’s poker face, seem like agreeing to this idea; they ran off terrified.

“Magnificent one, is there anything you would like me to do?” The red-haired asked carefully.

“Hmm…” Jason pondered, “Make sure the Lord of this city stay away from this, I don’t want him here.”

The red-haired startled “Of course, magnificent one, the young master is wounded, I’ll fetch him a healer, what do you think?”

“Not needed, he can endure the pain.” Jason refused his good intention. Jason thinks that the wound is light and in no rush to get him treatment. Jason wanted to linger a little while, making sure Salin will remember today’s event, he must have done something which ended up arrested. Regardless the truth, learn from the lesson to avoid the same event happen again. The red-haired whispers a few words to the gold-haired, and the gold-haired exited the hall while the other one continues to stay beside Jason.

Salin thought deeply in his mind that he thought he was about to die, with Jason to the rescue, the situation changed, the way Jason sounded like he doesn’t care about the Lord made him understands the meaning of a true Magician. Although the books he read did write about the standing of a Magician, he finds it hard to believe.  Salin recognized the red-haired swordsman, which belongs to the royal guards, he is kind because during last year festival, when he went to obtain some wheat from the merciful Lord, the red-haired purposely gave him an additional pack.

Within half an hour, the four soldiers, the trader and his servant were brought to Jason. They six of them has no idea of what was happening, but when the trader saw Salin stood beside Jason, he realizes something was not right. The trader was the first who kneeled upon him followed by the servant.

“Which of you arrested my student?” Jason asked coldly.

The four soldiers look at each other and look at the red-haired swordsman who stood aside. Instead, the red-haired swordsman looks up.

“We are the ones who arrested him according to a report claimed that the child stole Master Gambu’s gold coins.” The four answered innocently and pointed at the trader.

“Gambu? You! Why do you accuse my student?” Jason stared at the trader, asking him word after word.

“My Lord, this is misunderstandings, I mistook him for someone…”

Jason stopped him and said, “You lied, I’ll give you one more chance.”

“My Lord, this is the truth, I have no grudge upon him, why would I set him up? I…” Before Gambu continues, Jason impatiently activated a spell upon the trader, a white light flashed across the hall, an ice pick pierce through the trader’s head, left a b.l.o.o.d.y big hole.

“You are an idiot. A magician can easily detect lies. You, tell me, why accused my student?” Jason asked the servant after killing his master. All Jason wants is the truth, he doesn’t bother to place a charge on them, he wanted to know what Salin have done.

At this point, the servant peed his pants out of terror; he cried: “My Lord, it was not my idea, my master wanted the Metatrine’s property, save the procedure from city town hall, but the undying Metatrine’s young master stands in his way. Therefore, my master came out of this idea; I have nothing to do with this!”

“I know.” Jason releases a light cyan wind blade upon the servant, the servant’s head detached to his body in second, his blood splash out like a fountain while his detached head rolled to the side.

After Jason had killed the servant, he turned to Salin, said: “Salin, you are innocent, come home with me. Four of you, as much as you like to arrest people, I am unhappy of your act, perhaps to chop your hands off to avoid such mistakes instead of losing your heads.”

The red-haired swordsman pleaded, “Magnificent one, your student is unharmed, maybe…”

Jason stood up ignoring the swordsman exited the hall together with Salin. Jason’s voice thundered in the hall: “I didn’t kill them only because my student is unharmed, if he dies, I’ll make sure each one of you follows. Wind up Gambu’s a.s.sets and send it out to my place tomorrow, this will compensate my student, missing one gold coin; I’ll kill one of you.” The red-haired swordsman chills after he heard the demands. The Ceylon has no station magician. If Jason wants trouble, no one can defy him. The red-haired swordsman unarmed his sword and slowly walks to the four soldiers…

Jason and Salin make their way out from the city, the guards of the gate panickily open the gate and show their way out. When they got home, Jason applied healing spells on him while asking Salin about the details of the incident. After thoroughly explained to Jason, Jason understood the whole story and did not blame him. For Jason, Salin is only an innocent child who has no idea on wretched hearts. This lesson will let him understand the world better, that power is the absolute principle.

After the healing process was done. Salin back to his room, keep thinking about what had happened. If it weren’t Jason, gold coins wouldn’t be able to help me.  I must become stronger, I must! I must! He shut his eyes laying on the bed with no trace of sleepiness. The room is dark just like the dungeon. The feeling of terror and despair followed him home from the dungeon, the fear of death slowly invade his soul. Salin got off from the bed and lit up the candle on the desk, only then he is feeling safe and gradually fall asleep.

The next morning, the red-haired swordsman arrived at their place with gold coins, looks like he made quite an effort last night to summarize the a.s.sets. Jason let Salin deal with the red-haired swordsman. While Salin walks down from upstairs, he who seated anxiously stood up immediately greeted: “Young Master of Metatrine, rise, and shine!”

Salin, a little uncomfortable with his pa.s.sionate greetings, which reminded him when he used to wander on the street, the swordsman won’t even notice his existence, though the red-haired seems like a nice person, if isn’t because of Jason, the red-haired might occasionally spare him some foods during the festival.

“Young Master…?” The red-haired probed when he sees Salin wandered off.

“Yes. What’s the matter?”

The red-haired answered awkwardly to Salin, “Gambu’s a.s.sets has been summarizing, the total a.s.sets worth of two thousand two hundred gold coins. Hence, two properties and some livestock which worth approximately 400 golds. The property is a little hard to lease after we sold the property we will send you the remaining gold. Here is the bank draft worth of two thousand and two hundred gold in cash.” He placed the four bags full of gold coins on the table.

Salin is amazed, after yesterday’s event, he holds himself from jumping on the bags of gold. He calmly said: “I’ll sell you the two properties for three hundred golds. Bring me the payment this afternoon at your convenience. Also some grains, wheat, spices, and dried meat that worth of half year stocks, will you?”

“Absolutely!” The red-haired swordsman grinned to the maximum because to lease that two properties for 400 golds are difficult, and Jason once said to kill a person if one gold is missing. However, now Salin willing to give him an offer, he will earn some from selling it at a higher price.

After dispatching the swordsman, Salin carried four bags of gold and the bank draft to Jason’s laboratory.

“These are all yours, master.”

“You keep it, when you progressed from studies, you’ll need them. Just ask from me once the gold is finished.” Jason did not take any of Salin’s money; he doesn’t care about that little money, he only felt humiliated by the trader. Therefore he punished Gambu and compensate Salin with Gambu’s a.s.sets.