Chapter 80: Capability
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Xzavier might have easily said he could stop make it rain. It wasn't just what he had said, it was the suave confidence that followed his words, like it was nothing to him. As if he could easily do it with his eyes closed and without breaking a sweat. His words rang through the courtyard like with the blasphemous speed of a bad report or a profane speech. Even the sound of the water rushing in the background from the fountain seemed to have stopped.
The shock was quickly replaced by a sweeping tide of unbelief. That was the sequence of emotional reactions to Xzavier's claim, at least for Earlene and her brother. However, the white bearded old man's reaction was quite different. A cloud of anger crept across the senior mage's face. The old man was annoyed for several reasons. He was riled because Xzavier had so casually set magic aside, despite the fact the fact that he had no mana at all! He was annoyed because Xzavier had so openly castigated his method of teaching, and in the presence of his students!
Blood shot to his head, filling him with rage and disgust at the impudence of the young stranger. At this point, even the talkative Earlene was stunned. It was rare to see her lost for words. Her busy eyes were busy calculating the odds of Xzavier's assertion being true. If indeed what Xzavier said was correct, then she never had to waste this much time trying to use mana! Her face was brightened with the hope of the fact that in the near future, she wouldn't have to do this anymore!
Even Earlene's brother, who all this time had been assiduously practicing his water magic, stopped practicing when Xzavier's bombshell dropped. It was like his eyes had been opened to a new world filled with hidden secrets. If there was a way to skip this arduous process, he was more than willing to take it! So, he looked to Xzavier anxiously, waiting for him to spill the beans.
Just as he had suspected, Xzavier had managed to infect his entire students' minds with this unrealistic ideology and empty boasting. In one moment, Xzavier had completely undone what the old man had been trying to build for years! It irked him that none of his students, not even one of them had even turned to him for guidance, or at least, to even ask if what Xzavier had just said was possible! They simply opened their eyes and ears like a bunch of goldfish and gobbled it all up!
The senior mage's eyes boiled deep in his sockets. If was his principle of strict-adherence to proper manners that prevented him from cursing out Xzavier in the vilest way possible. If Xzavier hadn't been a valued and celebrated guest of the city and of the governor, the old man would have used the same magic (which Xzavier had so casually looked down on) to sweep him off his feet.
Livid with fury, the old man bit down on his tongue. Etiquette could be a suppressing prison sometimes! Seeing that he was bound by principle, and therefore couldn't properly vent his anger on Xzavier, he turned his wrath on Adalia and glared at her with all the suppressed venom in his being.
Adalia was no fool. She had lived long enough with this people to know and understand their natures. So, when the old man finally turned to face her in his great wrath, she instantly understood the message in his eyes without the old man having to speak his truth.
"Where this you get this scum from?" his eyes seemed to say.
He tightened his face in a grimace in a way that clearly told her to get rid of this liar immediately!
Completely in sync with the old man's secret message, Adalia began to work up the nerve to tell her truth.
"Master Laddie…" she began in a respectful tone.
"I realize that Xzavier's assertions might seem a bit overbearing, but I am a living testimony of his skills..." she coughed and added in a low tone;
"however unconventional they may be."
Before anyone could get hung up on the wrong details, she continued with her original narrative;
"So, believe me sir, if Xzavier says he can do it, he most definitely can do it. The least we can do is to at least give him a chance to prove himself by doing exactly what he says he can do."
Her words fell on the old man's ears like early morning dew on a parched land. The senior mage knew all his students well. He took great pride in knowing them well enough to predict their every move. Even though Adalia wasn't officially his student, she was attached to Earlene, and consequently, she had spent a lot of time with the old man as he tutored them. In this period, the old man came to know Adalia as a sincere and honest soul who spoke the truth with no guile in her heart.
So, hearing her openly vouch for this seemingly dubious young man made the old man take a step back to reevaluate his own suppositions concerning the young man. It had been a long time since he had second guessed himself. And yet, he just couldn't see how an ordinary man (who hadn't even he slightest trace of mana) could destroy a sturdy bucket of water without using magic.
These clashing thoughts chased each other around in the old man's head, pressing against his frontal lobe giving him the kind of headache that was born from serious deliberation. The two sides of the argument couldn't balance on the scales of logic. Adalia wasn't a liar, but at the same time, the old man knew that due to Xzavier's lack of mana, it would be practically impossible to obliterate a sturdy bucket that was filled with magic.
The boy who had been practicing his own water magic stopped everything he had been doing and now faced Xzavier fully. His face was now a haven for doubts. He kept his gaze fixated on Xzavier, expecting some kind of miracle to happen.
As if the table wasn't full enough, as if the atmosphere wasn't tense enough, the two powerful men whom Xzavier had kept waiting stepped into the scene. The governor's presence seemed to alter the mood of the courtyard. Behind him followed the Silver Knight Dale.
Both men glided across the courtyard towards Xzavier and the rest with a solemn expression on both their faces. They had spent several minutes scouring the grounds of the estate for Xzavier, during that period, the governor began to suspect that Dale might have been hallucinating or delirious when he said that he had the hero of the orc fiesta on ground.
They had sent servants everywhere, to look for Xzavier. Coincidentally, the governor decided to use the opportunity to check in on his kids to see how well their tutoring was going. And to his great surprise, just a few meters to the courtyard, Dale picked up the echo of Xzavier's voice coming from that direction. When Dale heard the cold familiar voice of the stranger, he alerted the governor excitedly.
"Governor! He's here!"
Expecting to see him behind them, Governor Quaid turned around abruptly.
"Where?!"
He cried as he scanned the immediate environment with searching eyes. With the way Dale had called his attention, the governor had assumed that Xzavier had appeared out of thin air like one of those mysterious mages who had the ability teleport.
Dale dealt him a report that was both disappointing and at the same time elating.
"Up ahead! He seems to be in that direction!"
The governor and the Silver Knight hurried towards that direction, eager to finally catch up with the elusive Xzavier. As they approached, the heard the echo of Xzavier's conversation with the old man. The governor looked at Dale with shocking disbelief when he heard Xzavier's bold assertion,
This was how they came to be present with Xzavier and the others at this point.
When Xzavier saw Dale coming with another middle aged man, he immediately guessed that the other man was the governor. It was in the way Dale huddled behind him, and the long, confident, purposeful strides of the governor. Also, the resemblance between the man and Earlene was clear. So, with all of this factors, Xzavier came to the logical conclusion that this was the governor indeed.
Even as Xzavier came to realize this, he was retained a calmness that was both shocking and unnerving. Anyone would expect a commoner to become jittery in the presence of a powerful figure such as the governor. Again, Xzavier shocked everyone in this regard. In fact, Xzavier's reaction was the polar opposite. He seemed to be a bit relieved that the governor and Dale had chosen that very moment to appear.
It wasn't because he was doubtful of his own capability. No, far from it.
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Xzavier might have easily said he could stop make it rain. It wasn't just what he had said, it was the suave confidence that followed his words, like it was nothing to him. As if he could easily do it with his eyes closed and without breaking a sweat. His words rang through the courtyard like with the blasphemous speed of a bad report or a profane speech. Even the sound of the water rushing in the background from the fountain seemed to have stopped.
The shock was quickly replaced by a sweeping tide of unbelief. That was the sequence of emotional reactions to Xzavier's claim, at least for Earlene and her brother. However, the white bearded old man's reaction was quite different. A cloud of anger crept across the senior mage's face. The old man was annoyed for several reasons. He was riled because Xzavier had so casually set magic aside, despite the fact the fact that he had no mana at all! He was annoyed because Xzavier had so openly castigated his method of teaching, and in the presence of his students!
Blood shot to his head, filling him with rage and disgust at the impudence of the young stranger. At this point, even the talkative Earlene was stunned. It was rare to see her lost for words. Her busy eyes were busy calculating the odds of Xzavier's assertion being true. If indeed what Xzavier said was correct, then she never had to waste this much time trying to use mana! Her face was brightened with the hope of the fact that in the near future, she wouldn't have to do this anymore!
Even Earlene's brother, who all this time had been assiduously practicing his water magic, stopped practicing when Xzavier's bombshell dropped. It was like his eyes had been opened to a new world filled with hidden secrets. If there was a way to skip this arduous process, he was more than willing to take it! So, he looked to Xzavier anxiously, waiting for him to spill the beans.
Just as he had suspected, Xzavier had managed to infect his entire students' minds with this unrealistic ideology and empty boasting. In one moment, Xzavier had completely undone what the old man had been trying to build for years! It irked him that none of his students, not even one of them had even turned to him for guidance, or at least, to even ask if what Xzavier had just said was possible! They simply opened their eyes and ears like a bunch of goldfish and gobbled it all up!
The senior mage's eyes boiled deep in his sockets. If was his principle of strict-adherence to proper manners that prevented him from cursing out Xzavier in the vilest way possible. If Xzavier hadn't been a valued and celebrated guest of the city and of the governor, the old man would have used the same magic (which Xzavier had so casually looked down on) to sweep him off his feet.
Livid with fury, the old man bit down on his tongue. Etiquette could be a suppressing prison sometimes! Seeing that he was bound by principle, and therefore couldn't properly vent his anger on Xzavier, he turned his wrath on Adalia and glared at her with all the suppressed venom in his being.
Adalia was no fool. She had lived long enough with this people to know and understand their natures. So, when the old man finally turned to face her in his great wrath, she instantly understood the message in his eyes without the old man having to speak his truth.
"Where this you get this scum from?" his eyes seemed to say.
He tightened his face in a grimace in a way that clearly told her to get rid of this liar immediately!
Completely in sync with the old man's secret message, Adalia began to work up the nerve to tell her truth.
"Master Laddie…" she began in a respectful tone.
"I realize that Xzavier's assertions might seem a bit overbearing, but I am a living testimony of his skills..." she coughed and added in a low tone;
"however unconventional they may be."
Before anyone could get hung up on the wrong details, she continued with her original narrative;
"So, believe me sir, if Xzavier says he can do it, he most definitely can do it. The least we can do is to at least give him a chance to prove himself by doing exactly what he says he can do."
Her words fell on the old man's ears like early morning dew on a parched land. The senior mage knew all his students well. He took great pride in knowing them well enough to predict their every move. Even though Adalia wasn't officially his student, she was attached to Earlene, and consequently, she had spent a lot of time with the old man as he tutored them. In this period, the old man came to know Adalia as a sincere and honest soul who spoke the truth with no guile in her heart.
So, hearing her openly vouch for this seemingly dubious young man made the old man take a step back to reevaluate his own suppositions concerning the young man. It had been a long time since he had second guessed himself. And yet, he just couldn't see how an ordinary man (who hadn't even he slightest trace of mana) could destroy a sturdy bucket of water without using magic.
These clashing thoughts chased each other around in the old man's head, pressing against his frontal lobe giving him the kind of headache that was born from serious deliberation. The two sides of the argument couldn't balance on the scales of logic. Adalia wasn't a liar, but at the same time, the old man knew that due to Xzavier's lack of mana, it would be practically impossible to obliterate a sturdy bucket that was filled with magic.
The boy who had been practicing his own water magic stopped everything he had been doing and now faced Xzavier fully. His face was now a haven for doubts. He kept his gaze fixated on Xzavier, expecting some kind of miracle to happen.
As if the table wasn't full enough, as if the atmosphere wasn't tense enough, the two powerful men whom Xzavier had kept waiting stepped into the scene. The governor's presence seemed to alter the mood of the courtyard. Behind him followed the Silver Knight Dale.
Both men glided across the courtyard towards Xzavier and the rest with a solemn expression on both their faces. They had spent several minutes scouring the grounds of the estate for Xzavier, during that period, the governor began to suspect that Dale might have been hallucinating or delirious when he said that he had the hero of the orc fiesta on ground.
They had sent servants everywhere, to look for Xzavier. Coincidentally, the governor decided to use the opportunity to check in on his kids to see how well their tutoring was going. And to his great surprise, just a few meters to the courtyard, Dale picked up the echo of Xzavier's voice coming from that direction. When Dale heard the cold familiar voice of the stranger, he alerted the governor excitedly.
"Governor! He's here!"
Expecting to see him behind them, Governor Quaid turned around abruptly.
"Where?!"
He cried as he scanned the immediate environment with searching eyes. With the way Dale had called his attention, the governor had assumed that Xzavier had appeared out of thin air like one of those mysterious mages who had the ability teleport.
Dale dealt him a report that was both disappointing and at the same time elating.
"Up ahead! He seems to be in that direction!"
The governor and the Silver Knight hurried towards that direction, eager to finally catch up with the elusive Xzavier. As they approached, the heard the echo of Xzavier's conversation with the old man. The governor looked at Dale with shocking disbelief when he heard Xzavier's bold assertion,
This was how they came to be present with Xzavier and the others at this point.
When Xzavier saw Dale coming with another middle aged man, he immediately guessed that the other man was the governor. It was in the way Dale huddled behind him, and the long, confident, purposeful strides of the governor. Also, the resemblance between the man and Earlene was clear. So, with all of this factors, Xzavier came to the logical conclusion that this was the governor indeed.
Even as Xzavier came to realize this, he was retained a calmness that was both shocking and unnerving. Anyone would expect a commoner to become jittery in the presence of a powerful figure such as the governor. Again, Xzavier shocked everyone in this regard. In fact, Xzavier's reaction was the polar opposite. He seemed to be a bit relieved that the governor and Dale had chosen that very moment to appear.
It wasn't because he was doubtful of his own capability. No, far from it.
Xzavier might have easily said he could stop make it rain. It wasn't just what he had said, it was the suave confidence that followed his words, like it was nothing to him. As if he could easily do it with his eyes closed and without breaking a sweat. His words rang through the courtyard like with the blasphemous speed of a bad report or a profane speech. Even the sound of the water rushing in the background from the fountain seemed to have stopped.The shock was quickly replaced by a sweeping tide of unbelief. That was the sequence of emotional reactions to Xzavier's claim, at least for Earlene and her brother. However, the white bearded old man's reaction was quite different. A cloud of anger crept across the senior mage's face. The old man was annoyed for several reasons. He was riled because Xzavier had so casually set magic aside, despite the fact the fact that he had no mana at all! He was annoyed because Xzavier had so openly castigated his method of teaching, and in the presence of his students!Blood shot to his head, filling him with rage and disgust at the impudence of the young stranger. At this point, even the talkative Earlene was stunned. It was rare to see her lost for words. Her busy eyes were busy calculating the odds of Xzavier's assertion being true. If indeed what Xzavier said was correct, then she never had to waste this much time trying to use mana! Her face was brightened with the hope of the fact that in the near future, she wouldn't have to do this anymore!Even Earlene's brother, who all this time had been assiduously practicing his water magic, stopped practicing when Xzavier's bombshell dropped. It was like his eyes had been opened to a new world filled with hidden secrets. If there was a way to skip this arduous process, he was more than willing to take it! So, he looked to Xzavier anxiously, waiting for him to spill the beans.Just as he had suspected, Xzavier had managed to infect his entire students' minds with this unrealistic ideology and empty boasting. In one moment, Xzavier had completely undone what the old man had been trying to build for years! It irked him that none of his students, not even one of them had even turned to him for guidance, or at least, to even ask if what Xzavier had just said was possible! They simply opened their eyes and ears like a bunch of goldfish and gobbled it all up!The senior mage's eyes boiled deep in his sockets. If was his principle of strict-adherence to proper manners that prevented him from cursing out Xzavier in the vilest way possible. If Xzavier hadn't been a valued and celebrated guest of the city and of the governor, the old man would have used the same magic which Xzavier had so casually looked down on to sweep him off his feet.Livid with fury, the old man bit down on his tongue. Etiquette could be a suppressing prison sometimes! Seeing that he was bound by principle, and therefore couldn't properly vent his anger on Xzavier, he turned his wrath on Adalia and glared at her with all the suppressed venom in his being.Adalia was no fool. She had lived long enough with this people to know and understand their natures. So, when the old man finally turned to face her in his great wrath, she instantly understood the message in his eyes without the old man having to speak his truth."Where this you get this scum from?" his eyes seemed to say.He tightened his face in a grimace in a way that clearly told her to get rid of this liar immediately!Completely in sync with the old man's secret message, Adalia began to work up the nerve to tell her truth."Master Laddie" she began in a respectful tone."I realize that Xzavier's assertions might seem a bit overbearing, but I am a living testimony of his skills..." she coughed and added in a low tone;"however unconventional they may be."Before anyone could get hung up on the wrong details, she continued with her original narrative;"So, believe me sir, if Xzavier says he can do it, he most definitely can do it. The least we can do is to at least give him a chance to prove himself by doing exactly what he says he can do."Her words fell on the old man's ears like early morning dew on a parched land. The senior mage knew all his students well. He took great pride in knowing them well enough to predict their every move. Even though Adalia wasn't officially his student, she was attached to Earlene, and consequently, she had spent a lot of time with the old man as he tutored them. In this period, the old man came to know Adalia as a sincere and honest soul who spoke the truth with no guile in her heart.So, hearing her openly vouch for this seemingly dubious young man made the old man take a step back to reevaluate his own suppositions concerning the young man. It had been a long time since he had second guessed himself. And yet, he just couldn't see how an ordinary man who hadn't even he slightest trace of mana could destroy a sturdy bucket of water without using magic.These clashing thoughts chased each other around in the old man's head, pressing against his frontal lobe giving him the kind of headache that was born from serious deliberation. The two sides of the argument couldn't balance on the scales of logic. Adalia wasn't a liar, but at the same time, the old man knew that due to Xzavier's lack of mana, it would be practically impossible to obliterate a sturdy bucket that was filled with magic.The boy who had been practicing his own water magic stopped everything he had been doing and now faced Xzavier fully. His face was now a haven for doubts. He kept his gaze fixated on Xzavier, expecting some kind of miracle to happen.As if the table wasn't full enough, as if the atmosphere wasn't tense enough, the two powerful men whom Xzavier had kept waiting stepped into the scene. The governor's presence seemed to alter the mood of the courtyard. Behind him followed the Silver Knight Dale.Both men glided across the courtyard towards Xzavier and the rest with a solemn expression on both their faces. They had spent several minutes scouring the grounds of the estate for Xzavier, during that period, the governor began to suspect that Dale might have been hallucinating or delirious when he said that he had the hero of the orc fiesta on ground.They had sent servants everywhere, to look for Xzavier. Coincidentally, the governor decided to use the opportunity to check in on his kids to see how well their tutoring was going. And to his great surprise, just a few meters to the courtyard, Dale picked up the echo of Xzavier's voice coming from that direction. When Dale heard the cold familiar voice of the stranger, he alerted the governor excitedly."Governor! He's here!"Expecting to see him behind them, Governor Quaid turned around abruptly."Where?!"He cried as he scanned the immediate environment with searching eyes. With the way Dale had called his attention, the governor had assumed that Xzavier had appeared out of thin air like one of those mysterious mages who had the ability teleport.Dale dealt him a report that was both disappointing and at the same time elating."Up ahead! He seems to be in that direction!"The governor and the Silver Knight hurried towards that direction, eager to finally catch up with the elusive Xzavier. As they approached, the heard the echo of Xzavier's conversation with the old man. The governor looked at Dale with shocking disbelief when he heard Xzavier's bold assertion,This was how they came to be present with Xzavier and the others at this point.When Xzavier saw Dale coming with another middle aged man, he immediately guessed that the other man was the governor. It was in the way Dale huddled behind him, and the long, confident, purposeful strides of the governor. Also, the resemblance between the man and Earlene was clear. So, with all of this factors, Xzavier came to the logical conclusion that this was the governor indeed.Even as Xzavier came to realize this, he was retained a calmness that was both shocking and unnerving. Anyone would expect a commoner to become jittery in the presence of a powerful figure such as the governor. Again, Xzavier shocked everyone in this regard. In fact, Xzavier's reaction was the polar opposite. He seemed to be a bit relieved that the governor and Dale had chosen that very moment to appear.It wasn't because he was doubtful of his own capability. No, far from it.
