With the forward camp taken care of and a small amount of prisoners set free, the two mages had already achieved something rather nice for the community of Hapshass. But that was all it was, nice, for the main issue still remained unsolved, meaning another similar camp could rise within the next few days and just take more people prisoner yet again. Realizing this much, they continued along their way with Griswold doing his best to navigate them to where they needed to be. However, with the sheer amount of magical signatures all over the area, including the beaches where people were still partying, his senses were muddled due to the sheer range his mana sense covered. It was one of those things that still needed quite a bit of fine tuning, a thing that came with practice. So as Griswold was narrowing down his search while still on the move, a question had been posed regarding the exact nature of his magic.

“That’s because it is solar magic. The heat and flames you saw are directly linked to the idea of stars, or rather, a sun. While there are other forms of solar magic, based around moons, planets, constellations and other astronomical bodies, I’ve not yet managed to branch out of sun-based magic. Who knows, maybe I’m not supposed to.”

Magic was weird like that. He had heard of others who used solar magic that had their spells manifesting in entirely different manners, things he personally could not do. Where he could blanket an area in explosive suns, throw a sun that incinerated everything in its path before erupting, could fire rays of heat and toss about solar flares, that was primarily what his magic entailed. Sure, he could also increase his physique and even heal himself and others quite well, that had nothing to do with the creation of planets or moons or whatever. Once all of the issues regarding the eastern and western shores got resolved, and depending on whether or not he would survive the fight against the archdemon Aamon as one of the royal knights, he had decided that he would start focusing more on his magic. More importantly, on trying to diversify the stuff he could do while checking what else he might still be able to learn.

“Since I joined the black bulls, I haven’t yet met a single one of them, though I rather enjoy being a part of it. Before joining them, I was a traveling mercenary, doing the work that needed to be done and getting rid of the things that needed to be removed from the equation within the forsaken region. Out of the three, it is the region I care about the most, so joining up with one of the squads located inside of it and tasked with keeping it safe seemed like the logical decision.”

It was not a peculiar question, at least not to Griswold. He knew that the squad had built up a bit of a reputation, though that had happened long before he had even considered joining it. But saying he had yet to actually meet up with any of them now that he had officially become a member was actually the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Many other squads tended to throw together some kind of gathering to make the new members feel at home, or just have everyone acquaint themselves with the new blood. So while he had met some black bulls members prior to joining, the fact that no attempt had been made at welcoming the new members was not something that bothered him much, or at all. The way he saw it, the way things were going simply allowed him to keep doing what he did without being bogged down by others and their rules.

He could continue what he did as a mercenary while being able to tap into the funds of a magic squad. Speaking of magic squads, the boy stated shortly after that his aim was to join the golden dawn. And to Griswold, that was one of the top three squads he did not much care for as they were located in the royal capital and were made up primarily of rich folk. Still, they weren’t as bad as the silver eagles, but they were up there. Out of the three, it was no secret that Griswold liked the crimson lions most, for even though most of them were nobles, they did not shy away from taking in commoners and even peasants, which explained why he himself had at some point been a part of their ranks. Deciding not to shy away from honesty, as that was something he never did, he would give it to him straight.

“As for the golden dawn, I imagine it would be as good a squad as any. But as a former crimson lion, I have to say that the squads tasked with dealing with the noble region are not for me. The people there with their petty little problems, constantly worried about their reputation and how others might see them, having to do everything in secrecy if at all possible. Given some of the things I’ve seen and heard, I’d like to punch a lot of those loathsome nobles in the jaw…”

Thanks in part to the people he had met as a magic knight that were also magic knights themselves, his dislike towards nobles had been tempered quite a bit. Though that did not take away the fact that the average nobleman bugged him, mostly because the majority of them had the kind of funding that could pay off almost all of the problems the forsaken region had to deal with. Because of the tiny amount of money in the place, the amount of debt was often not all that high. Still, the fact that it kept building up over time and the people who were in these debts did not make much, it wouldn’t change a damn thing for them. And while Griswold did not believe that all things could be solved by throwing money at them, he knew for a fact that it would at the very least be a good start.

“…Needless to say, that was not the right environment for me. I’d prefer spending my time saving people from actual threats, helping people deal with actual problems and making sure as few of them die from preventable issues, rather than playing at being an overpaid, overqualified babysitter to the children of some noble that needs to be at a social event that costs just about enough to fix all the problems the peasants face for months if not years.”

Clearly by now, the boy would have noticed the kind of person that Griswold was. Putting himself into harms way to help the poor and the downtrodden, he also possessed a firm belief that those who had insane amounts of wealth were the reason the country was divided by three specific castes. And it would remain that way until someone broke the mold through hard work and dedication, which was a role Griswold strived for with all of his being. His goal was not to become a hero for selfish reasons, but to become a hero so that those same people mentioned before would have someone to look up to. To know that someone was out there fighting for them and their interests without being driven by wealth and status. So as they continued on their way, it did seem like there was smoke coming from what seemed to be a bunch of shipwrecks, making it worth checking out.

“I won’t stand here and lie to you when I say that I don’t honestly believe things will ever change on a large scale. As things are now, many noble families make a large sum of money over the backs of hard working peasants and commoners, so I don’t see those people turning in a portion of their earnings just to make sure their “workers” have a better life. Even as a magic knight, I could feel noble eyes burning holes in my back, as they did not want to believe anyone outside of nobility could ever be worthy of becoming a magic knight.”

And that was the sad reality of what they faced, a system which has had its gears rusted in place for such a long time that even trying to loosen or oil it up would risk to gears simply crumbling to dust, thus breaking the whole thing to the detriment of everyone involved. So while he was glad to know that there were those who were hard at work trying to rise to higher positions in an attempt at changing things from within, there would need to be a lot more people with the same mindset, a solid reputation, hail from the right family and possess a fair amount of political pull to make such a thing happen. All of these things put together made things look rather bleak, which was also why Griswold had given up on the idea of changing things on such a scale as suggested by the boy. His plans were far more simple.

“Once I become captain of the black bulls, I aim to use my position in order to buy a large plot of land with plenty of space for livestock and fields for all kinds of produce. From that point on, I’d wish to hire those from the surrounding area to work for a reasonable wage, as well as offering them the chance to learn more about the trade. If nothing else, it will provide people with a future, even if it won’t be able to reach the whole region.”

The way Griswold saw it, every little bit helped, though simply throwing money at the problem would not help in the long term. By providing people with a stellar job and the chance to learn while quite literally in the field, they’d be able to spend their time on something that earned their families some much needed cash and work towards a better future for the forsaken region as a whole. Mixed with his goal to become captain of a magic squad, he might have been taking on a bit too much by aiming to both provide for the region as well as streamlining the way in which it would be protected by at least one of the two squads stationed within its borders. But sometimes, it was better to have dreams that were too big for one person than to have no dreams at all. Besides, with the pace he had been moving at so far, at least one of the two goals he had set for himself were within reach.

As for how the kid had stated how his element was fitting for him, as a sun that watched over the region, he could imagine why he would think that. It was after all the reason why he had been dubbed the solarian wolf, a territorial creature watching over what was his with the ferocity required to defend it. Even though he thought about it, he did not actually respond to it, as there was something else that he managed to pick up as they approached the shipwrecks in the cove. Capable of sensing several more presences behind it and within it, it was almost as if the wreckage of the boats were being used as defenses. It was a smart idea, though the brittle ships would not protect anyone from his solar magic. The only issue it rose was that if he wanted to shield people from his own magic, he would need to be able to see them, to know exactly which mana signatures to single out. Something he could not do right now.

“Yeah, there are several of them behind these shipwrecks, using them as outer walls to provide protection and limit our vision. While I could blow them up from here, I’d risk hurting or more than likely killing their prisoners in the process, leaving us with only one means of going forward. Which is going in blind.”

Though not the biggest fan of this plan of approach, it was the only way of dealing with this problem. While there were many who believed Griswold was as reckless as they came, he was actually always thinking his steps through quite a bit before and even while he was making them. That said though, he could not blame anyone for thinking that way about him, as it was often what people could see that formed their opinion, and one would obviously not be able to see all of the things that were going on inside of his head. Right now, he would go about his business in the same manner as they had done with the last camp, by letting the boy head in first while following closely behind him in case he got in over his head. In which case he would be able to step in and take care of the threat by himself.

“Lets get moving.”

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“That was more or less what I thought too, because just throwing money at something has never fixed anything other than short term problems. If they could be provided with something that can help them on the short and the long term, it might even stabilize the region more, cutting down on the amount of people that would resort to crime for the sake of survival. But that is all still rather far away.”

More or less choosing not to respond to the part regarding the nobles as the two most likely knew well enough that that was the kind of problem one would not be able to fix in their lifetimes, he hoped that the issues regarding the peasants might, even if only for a big portion. Preferring to set short and long term goals for himself, all of that had been pushed way out to the back for the short term goal that was freeing these captives that were just in front of them, as well as killing those that had taken them away from their homes. By the end of the week, the forsaken region would still be there after all, though these particular captives might no longer be in a place from where he could save them as easily as from these coves. Besides, whenever the chance presented itself where he could help out someone from the younger generation, and maybe impart onto them some of the things he felt were important, that counted as a win for him.

Upon finding their query, it wasn’t long before the battle truly broke out, what with the leader of this particular camp presenting herself as some kind of sea witch. While not exactly the most inspired title, he imagined it at the very least made sense. Making use of his gravity magic, the boy began fighting, while Griswold merely stood back and watched things go down, all the while inspecting the camp for any weaknesses that could be exploited, as well as seeing if he could maybe take out those inside of this camp while freeing the captives at the same time. After all, he had done just that before, though he wouldn’t be able to do that here. If he were to use a truly big and explosive spell here, he would end up shattering the entire cove, which would be bad for the local fauna, meaning he had to go about this the old fashioned route.

For what it was worth, the guy was doing a pretty good job on his own, though there were still some rather obvious limitations to his strength, that much was clear. Because his mana still felt on the small size, as well as somewhat unrefined, it wasn’t all that hard to see that the kid had not yet managed to sharpen himself through battle yet. But given his age, he would most likely still have plenty of chances to prove himself, and hone his current abilities while making space for new ones. Such was often the way of magic, or at least, that was how things had been for him. As soon as he got close to actually mastering some of his spells, he felt something awakening inside of him, allowing him to push those same spells even further, as well as unlocking similar spells of greater power, or greater flexibility in various situations.

Assuming the boy had paid attention to the spell Griswold had used to take care of the initial slavers they had met in their forward camp, he believed he might recognize the spell he was going to use now. Forming similar looking spheres, these were almost identical to the former, though they were among those spells that were born out of his mastery over the previous spell. An evolution of sorts. Aiming the spheres at their targets, they moved around a bit in order to avoid them, some even throwing their spears in an attempt at interception them. Incinerating upon making contact, the spheres both suddenly released a lot of light, the luminosity breaking free from them illuminating everything inside of the cove. Blinding those that looked right at them such as the slavers that were looking to protect themselves, the witch decided to try and scurry away, only for the sphere aimed at her to adjust its own trajectory.

Doing so as to keep itself on track and on target, it became clear that this particular spell was capable of tracking those that had been established as their target, homing in on them and destroying them. As was the case with his previous spell, the explosions resulting in their collision with their marks would only strike those Griswold wanted to be struck, and no one else. Obviously, this did not go for the terrain, as the beach and cove that got hit took a serious beating in the process. But as the remaining targets were incinerated, their remains converted to ash, the high pitched shrieking that made his brain itch also came to an end. And not a moment to soon. For as much as the shrieking affected himself and the boy, so did it also hurt those that were being held in this place, and they had already suffered enough. Believing the boy to be mostly fine, he began using solar mana to melt the locks he touched, thus opening the cages one by one.

“You’ve handled yourself well, though I would suggest not biting off more than you can chew. Wanting to save people is a good thing, but putting yourself in the crosshairs of someone stronger than you will only get you caught up in a similar predicament as those you would see saved. Help me free these folks so we can bring them back to town.”

There was no doubt in his mind that the boy would be able to easily break the locks with his own magic, and with their enemies in shambles, there wasn’t really anyone working against them either. So with that, it was only a matter of time before they were all freed up and ready to begin their trek back to Hapshass.

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[Exit to next portion of the chain]