I was adopted by a Magician

"If you like, there is an opportunity to deviate from the road and go through the forest" The sergeant suggested: "This is a much shorter way. Or we can drive to the village and then take another road to get to the castle".

"We're turning" The officer decided: "This rain is already so boring that I want to take shelter under the roof as soon as possible. Besides, there's a lot less dirt in the forest than on this road".

A small detachment entered the forest and, led by the sergeant, quickly reached the clearing in front of the castle.

"As you can see, Your Honor, I have not committed any deception" Said the sergeant: "We are... Damn scoundrels!"

His exclamation was addressed to his own horse, which suddenly rushed to the side, almost throwing off the rider, and excitedly looked towards the castle with its frightened gaze.

"Something alerted Avdai" The sergeant explained to the concerned officer: "Squad, stop! My Lord, let me hurry up and check".

He jumped off his horse, handing the reins to one of his subordinates, and began to inspect the site. Moving forward, the sergeant suddenly froze in place: a man's clothes and shoes were lying on the ground, and someone had put his shirt under his belt and tucked it into his trousers, which were also tucked into his boots.

"My Lord!" he shouted to the officer: "Please come here. Just hurry up. My Avdai is not afraid of blood, but here he is just stupefied with fear, so other horses will not like this place either".

"What kind of nonsense is this?" The startled officer squatted down next to the sergeant: "It feels like the body just disappeared into thin air".

"You guessed right, my lord" The sergeant nodded: "Take a look!"

The sergeant put his hand into the collar of the found shirt and pulled out a gold medallion on a chain. Then he untied the ties on his shirt and found a bloody crossbow bolt.

"This man was killed inside the castle. Look, the penetrating wound was only on his chest, and he was lying headfirst. Let's turn over his clothes and see what's underneath".

A long dagger hung from a wide leather belt at the bottom, and a purse with money was tied on the other side.

"Gold" Said the sergeant, untying the purse: "Thirty coins. It is clear that this was not an easy robber. Yeah! It's a Dartie Beer Barrel! And look at the medallion!"

"Indeed, Dartie!" The officer confirmed: "According to rumors, he never parted with this medallion. The magistrate put a hundred gold coins on his head! He was lucky to catch the robber leader right away. You claimed that your horse is not afraid of blood, but here it was almost all washed away by the rain. Apparently, there is some kind of magic here".

"Most likely, my lord. Otherwise, where did the body go? We need to explore the area, maybe he's not the only one lying here. It seems to me that these guys got caught for a reason today. If any of them had survived, they would certainly have returned here to bury the body or take the gold. According to rumors, the leader had a lot of rings on his fingers. Let's check the sleeves. Here's a ring, and another one!"

"So they fought in the castle and dealt a serious blow to the whole gang?"

"Perhaps it is, Your Highness, perhaps so few bodies survived that their examination was postponed for later. So, we should be more vigilant anyway".

Everyone dismounted and, leaving their horses under the protection of two huntsmen, scattered around the clearing, carefully looking at it in the direction of the castle. I didn't have to look for long". Just a few steps later, a little to the side, another incomprehensible remains of clothes and shoes were found, which also turned out to be a crossbow bolt. There was a weapon nearby.

"None of those present had any money missing" Turning a damp cloth, the sergeant said: "There is no gold in the purse, but a lot of silver. Look, guys, they're probably not the only ones here".

Approaching the castle, we came across two "fallen", both with weapons and cash, and three more were found near the walls. Two had their arrows removed, and the third had no visible damage to his clothes. One of the soldiers went to the door, examined it and came back.

"When reporting to the authorities, it was indicated that the door was broken down, and a log was found nearby, which, most likely, was used to break it in. At the moment, the door is just standing in the doorway and propped up by something from the inside".

"Judging by the sergeant's conclusion, despite the losses committed by the robbers, they nevertheless entered the castle through the broken door and remained inside, since neither the money nor the weapons of the victims were touched. What do you suggest we do, my lord? It's getting dark, everyone is tired and wet. Maybe it's worth asking for shelter for the night in the castle or going to spend the night in the village".

"I would not like to disturb the owners" The officer reflected: "If there are really robbers there, then we will find ourselves in a very unpleasant situation. And if the hosts still won, then they are unlikely to be happy about our appearance. But even now there is no point in going to the village... I propose such a solution. This place used to be a castle, so there must be stables somewhere nearby. If possible, let's try to spend the night there".

The stables were discovered nearby. They seemed to be intact, and a narrow and smoothly trodden path led from the gate towards the castle.

"There are obviously a lot of people here" The sergeant remarked: "The gate is not locked. Wait, Lashda, don't come any closer. If a powerful magician lives in the castle, then he could leave some kind of trouble instead of the castle. Call Olak, let him take a look".

The young hunter, responding to the call, went up to the gate and passed near them, but found nothing.

"There is nothing here" he said, opening the gate: "If there was any curse, it has already lost its power, and I will not find traces of the old ones".

The huntsman inspected the stable and outbuildings, but found only two horses and a small supply of hay and oats.

"Get our horses" The officer ordered: "Let's take the largest room. It's clean and dry, we'll set up tents on the floor and spend the night. Change into dry clothes, and roll up wet things into bundles. Tomorrow we will dry them in the castle. Idesh, split the night shifts".

The sergeant replied to the lord: "Of course, Your Highness, I think we can ask the owners for a grain of oats. Tomorrow we will send someone to the village headman and reimburse the costs".

"Mr. Sergeant!" One of the huntsmen came up to Idesh: "We saw traces resembling blood on the slabs. The rain has partially washed them away, but they are still distinguishable. The tracks led us to a cesspool where manure and kitchen waste are dumped".

"What about the pit itself?" The sergeant asked.

"It is very deep and almost empty, even in the daytime it is not visible there. Shall we throw a torch in there?"

"Have you been thinking too long? What if the manure starts to burn? How are we going to put it out? Take a thin rope and tie it to the torch. Then report the results".

Twenty minutes later, the same guard approached the pit.

"There are a lot of old clothes and a lot of shoes on the pit above. It was not possible to study in detail: the rope caught fire, and we barely managed to pull out the torch".

"That's all the other robbers!" Idesh said: "So the inhabitants of the castle managed to fight back. It is possible that among them there is a powerful magician who summoned some creatures. This information must be immediately transmitted to the governor".

"If it is the hostess herself, it is unlikely that she will go to the capital" The officer replied: "She did not accidentally end up here in this remote area. It is likely that the priests of Mashun drove her here during the last reign. They were then rampant in debauchery, and the king's father turned a blind eye to them. How many masters they destroyed, how many people fled to neighboring lands! And now, if we have to fight, we don't have anything with which we can fend off these creatures. The king is trying to collect on those who are left, but there are very few of them left, and they do not believe that everything is over".

"Let the governor deal with it himself" Said the sergeant, opening the bag and taking out bread and a piece of ham: "Will you, my lord?"

"I won't refuse. Thank you, Sergeant. We'll eat, and everyone else, except for those on duty, will go to bed. We'll look at all the details tomorrow. You are right: our task is only to report".

*****

"How are you feeling?" Helena examined her student carefully: "She didn't seem to have lost much weight".

"I feel fine" Linda replied: "Except for some muscle discomfort".

"This is because of the transition to accelerated mode. It should be over by evening. According to Gasd, you've successfully dealt with a dozen robbers. Did it affect you?"

"At first it was scary and a little sick, but when I heard what they wanted to do to me, there was such a rage that even helped me forget about nausea. If I hadn't been so exhausted... Well, forget about it for today. Can we start reserve training?"

"Let's take a break from studying, we have guests. Hasd left in the morning to feed the horses and met a detachment of His Majesty's huntsmen in the stable. These rangers are hunting for the same robbers who decided to visit us yesterday, but I was so tired that I didn't notice when they tried to warn me about them. The noble Baron Rodek is in this unit. Hasd says that the young man is very impressive and impresses him. He is the chief gamekeeper. The clergy demands that we invite him to breakfast and provide assistance to the rangers if he makes such a request. In addition, we will be able to get the latest news from this young man. I sent Gasd to the city seven years ago. He is no longer old enough for such trips. You should get yourself cleaned up. Your task is "to make a strong impression on him. Then it will be easier for me to find out everything I need".

"How old is this baron?"

"Almost twenty".

"And you think he's going to be interested in a girl?"

"Come here, girl. Go to the mirror. Now look at yourself. Do you consider yourself a girl? You say you're thirteen and a half, but anyone who looks at it won't give you less than fifteen. You have the outlines of an adult and beautiful woman, so learn how to use it. Men may not bother you yet, but that's no reason to neglect their interest in you. Someday I'll find the time and teach you how to charm men better and faster. Consider it a weapon that nature has given you. Pull your arms back, pull up the fabric of the dress on your chest, and they will look at her. Most men at such moments can no longer think clearly, their attention is occupied with other things. There are many other techniques. Even by changing the timbre of your voice, you can control their behavior. So drop your nonsense and stop thinking of yourself as a child".

"Your application of the ointment is to blame for the fact that they stand out so externally!"

"Ointment and training. And what's wrong with that? Tell me, what kind of woman doesn't want to be attractive? Do they even exist? And you yourself? Do you think I didn't understand why you attract attention with your eyelashes? You are naturally very beautiful, but you came here as an indecisive girl, and look at yourself now! A beautiful, strong and confident woman! Even if you are a child by your standards, now you live by different rules. So don't argue and put on a prettier dress. Then I'll pick out some jewelry for you. A tiara or necklace is only worn on special occasions, and this baron might think that you dressed up because of him. Here's a pendant for you. It's a pity you don't have pierced ears. Earrings immediately change a woman's appearance. Okay, I'll puncture them later, we'll do without it for now".

From Helena, Linda was at a loss. Her mentor seemed to be right-she was already ready to become an adult. Meanwhile, her anxiety disappeared as she got dressed. Helena knew that the mentor was always right, so she was ready to follow her advice.

She needed to learn how to handle men, and she would definitely do it. For now, she was worried about how the baron would react. It was interesting to see it. The dress she was wearing now clung to her body like a second skin. Interestingly, the dress was originally a little too big. She's going to have to make herself a new dress soon. She just combed her hair and fixed it with varnish.

During their five months in the castle, they grew to almost priests and became thicker. When Linda got tired of spending time caring for her hair and asked Helena to cut it off, she just twirled her finger at her temple and said that a real noble girl should have long hair and cutting it is not suitable.

After completing her morning ritual, which her mother called "cleaning feathers" she hurried up to her mentor.

"Wonderful!" Helena appreciated, took a gold pendant decorated with emeralds from a small table and hung it around Linda's neck: "You don't even need to adjust the chain. But we need to do something about the dresses. After a couple of decades, you may not be suitable for them. But my sister was over fifteen, and she looked great. Look at the rings in the box, just don't swarm, it's time for breakfast. Do you remember everything about being born? That's great. Be kind, but keep your distance. Lift your chin a little and don't you dare wrinkle your forehead or frown your eyes. Okay, that will be enough for the provincial baron. For more effect, you will enter the dining room after we sit down at the table. Then I'll introduce you".

*****

The invitation to breakfast received early in the morning was predictable, so Kerd cleaned himself up as soon as he could and, leaving the squad with the sergeant, followed the ancient servant through the entrance with the missing doors.

"Will my Lord send his men to the village?" The servant asked, leading the guest into the castle: "If so, the lady asked me to tell the headman to send a blacksmith to fix the doors. I'm asking you here. Please have a seat, the lady will join you now".

Sitting down in his seat, Kerd looked around curiously. It was his first visit to the old castle, and he was really interested. There were only a few similar castles in the kingdom, and not many of them have survived to this day. The locals built their houses with grandeur, and in the dining room it was possible to set up a table for one hundred guests at once.

"My Lady!" The servant who somehow ended up at the table with the guest solemnly declared.

An elderly woman, about eighty years old, entered the refectory, her face still retained traces of its former beauty. She was dressed quite modestly, and massive gold earrings with precious stones hung proudly on her ears. With respect to the hostess, Kerd got up from his chair when she entered. Taking her place at the head of the table, she looked questioningly at the newcomer.

"Kerd Ster, Baron Rodek" he introduced himself.

"Unlike you, Baron, I do not have the opportunity to give my family name or title" The old woman replied: "The enemies are powerful, and I am a lonely and weak woman. That's why I allow myself to be called Helena. I see that you are embarrassed by the presence of Hasd at our table. The fact is that he has been serving me for more than half a century, and yesterday, together with my ward, he killed most of the robbers before I could intervene".

"This requires great courage and military skill" Kerd remarked, looking at the servant with respect: "Where is your pupil? I've heard of female warriors, but I've never met one myself. Is she not one of them?"

"No, Kerd" Lady Helena laughed, calling him by his first name, which was no longer contrary to etiquette after the introduction: "My father had two such "ladies", if I may say so. They fought well, but it took a lot of effort to see them as real women. And here is my pupil! Let me introduce you to Rinda Volk, Baroness Keran. She's from Kiwana, if that means anything to you".

"My Lady..." Kerd got up from his chair and remained standing, looking at the young girl who entered, the most beautiful he had ever seen.

"Please have a seat, Kerd" Helena said with a smile: "There is no need to puzzle my pupil with such close attention, she is not used to it".

Indeed, the girl felt her cheeks blush, which only added to her attractiveness.

"Let's enjoy breakfast first" The hostess continued: "And then you will tell us the latest gossip that is relevant now, and how we can help you. Perhaps it's worth putting your people in the castle and feeding them lunch. Stables are not the best place to stay. Unfortunately, there are few available living rooms in the castle. The other rooms don't require much maintenance, and I don't have many servants. However, if your people wish, we can prepare for them one of the rooms previously used by the servants and in which the windows have been repaired. It's warm there, you just need to clean up the garbage. I will immediately instruct my maid to prepare dinner for them. However, in the future they will have to take care of themselves, as my maid is no longer young for so many guests. Are you going to stay with us for a long time? Just please, for the sake of all the gods, don't say that you intend to stay forever! Rinda won't be able to appreciate such a sacrifice, she's too young".

"How old is the Baroness?" Kerd asked.

"Unfortunately, dear Kerd, she is much younger than you think! Rinde is not even an adult yet, she has six months left before reaching that age. But even after that, you have little chance, because she doesn't want to get married. However, we are worried about the hosts and have almost forgotten about our guests. Tell the ladies something interesting, otherwise we are completely isolated from communication".

"Before I tell you anything, let me ask you a question. Is there a strong magician in this castle?"

"Why do you think that strong magicians live here, and why are you so interested?" Helena asked: "I understand that the peasants can only talk about us as rumors at the city bazaar. They don't know much, but they can learn a little. But to draw conclusions based on their stories..."

"We found the remains of the robbers who failed to reach the castle. They were killed with ordinary weapons, but their bodies..."

"These are greedy people!" Helena snapped angrily. It was unknown who she was talking about: "They don't have enough of those who managed to get into the castle. I didn't even think that they would decide to take a walk in its vicinity. You're lucky, Kerd, that you came after that fight. Those who helped us were forbidden to touch their own, and you were not one of them. Believe me, you shouldn't turn so pale, it's better to express gratitude to the god you worship. Okay, I know there's no point in lying. I am the magician who called for help. Now tell me what your needs are for magicians".

"Not me" replied Kerd, who felt a chill run down his spine at the thought that his clothes might be on their camp: "His Majesty, Wadish the Third, appeared in need of magicians".

"Amazing!" Helena said with irony in her voice: "You must have interviewed the neighbors?"

"You said it right" Kerd confirmed: "When the priests of Mashun, with the support of the former king, launched a war against the magicians of the kingdom, many of the latter left their lands and turned to their neighbors. Unfortunately, the father died, and his son is now forced to correct the actions of his ancestor. There are no craftsmen left in the kingdom, and magicians in general have become very rare. If one of our neighbors takes it into his head to attack us, then I'm afraid we'll all have a bad time. Therefore, our great king issued an amnesty decree for the magicians whom Father accused. Those who decide to return are promised significant financial rewards from the state treasury".

"And how many of them are coming back?" Helena asked mockingly.

"You're absolutely right: no one has returned yet" Kerd confirmed to Helena, but his gazes constantly shifted from the old woman to her ward: "At least, I haven't heard anything about such cases. The masters are successfully settling in everywhere, despite the spoiled reputation of their father..."

"They are not destined to return until their ancestral lands are returned to them!" Helena stated decisively: "But how can this be done without contradicting the new owners? Offended mashun priests can help here. After all, you can lose the throne! Do you know how the decree on the abolition of charges of treason is written? What are the reasons for this?"

"No way, it just needs to be indicated that the accusations turned out to be unconfirmed or untenable. I don't remember exactly, but something like that" he replied.

"How old is your king, Kerd?"

"He is also your king, my Lady Helena!"

"Well, let it be ours" she said in agreement: "So how much is it?"

"You don't even know about it! He turned twenty just recently".

"Ha, a teenager!"

"Dear lady, I would like to ask you not to insult the king in my presence! I swore an oath of allegiance and I can't stand this!"

"You see, there's no need to offend him. The king should use his head not only to decorate the crown, but also for reflection! Evaluate for yourself what he wrote. For example, I lost my family and position in society because of a false accusation, as well as significant land spaces. Because of this, I have no love for the royal family, and the same negativity is directed at other masters. And now they say that I was falsely accused. Thus, I was deprived of everything illegally, and I have every right to demand a refund. If the king does not want to deal with the restoration of my property, then I myself can withdraw it from its current owners and pay them off. The priests of Mashun did not hand out the confiscated goods just like that, but handed them over to their supporters, who often also participated in the seizures. Do you think I don't have the strength? Therefore, this decree does not contain anything reasonable. For me, it is beneficial at least in that I will not be able to hide my identity and live freely in the kingdom. But for the kingdom itself, it will bring nothing good except conflicts and internal strife".

*****

"I wonder what made the baron run so fast?" Linda asked: "I thought we'd have to show him the place and banish him, but he suddenly decided to leave for the countryside. Do you think that was our job?"

"Be careful what you say. Even if obscene expressions come out of my mouth sometimes, it's not worth repeating them to you. Yes, I pushed the Baron in the right direction and at the same time made him forget some details of our conversation. He doesn't have an amulet, so it was easy. You saw the way he looked at you. I didn't want him to become seriously interested in you and interfere with our business. The bandit gang is gone, so he doesn't belong here either. Let them clean themselves up in the village, eat and leave where they came from. And we need to prepare for the arrival of the guests. I couldn't erase the memories of us from all the rangers, I just tweaked the baron's memory a little so that he would report the battle and the gang to his superiors. If our king is really worried about the lack of wizards, and everything indicates that this is the case, then a representative of the governor will come to us very soon. We can say that everything is going for the best".

"Do you want to accept the king's offer? And what will happen to the castle?"

"I'll think about it later. Of course, no one will return the estate to me, and we don't need the money. Although it is quite possible that it is worth getting a hundred gold coins that you earned in the magistrate of Dert. Not that we really need them, but so as not to give us a reason to think about the golden castle. And the king should be required to have a decent residence in the capital. Not now, but later, when you graduate. After all, you can't sit in this castle all your life, I've already made this mistake. But you will have great opportunities, and revenge will be easier. Before I leave, I want to adopt you. You can be my granddaughter by age, but that's a small thing. The main thing is that you will legally inherit my entire fortune and title. You will be the Marchioness of Aquani. After the death of my family, the marquis was renamed, so the current owners should have no complaints against you, but you may have them. It's up to you to decide whether to forgive them or not".

"And if I have a desire to return to my original reality?"

"Then who would dare to contradict you?" Helena exclaimed in surprise: "Just appoint a person who will manage in your place, and you will be free to travel to all the worlds you want to visit. You will have the opportunity to live in different realities, you just need to appear at the court of the Wadish from time to time. But you know, it's too early for you to think about it. When you grow up, gain strength and realize all your plans, then decide how to continue living. At that time, you will have enough life experience and knowledge to make such an important decision".

"If the baron is leaving, then maybe we can deal with the problem of my reserve? Or will it be difficult for you after yesterday?"

"It's not difficult for me, the main burden will fall on you".

"Can I handle it? What should be done?"

"I think you can. It is necessary to expand your energy channels. The responsibility for this will lie with you in the first place. I've never done this myself, but according to the books, the process is accompanied by severe pain. You have to endure this pain, so if you want, you can refuse. Then we will only deal with theory, and we will switch to practice when you are ready for it. I hope that I will be alive by the time of preparation. And if not, I'll leave detailed instructions for you".

"No, I'll try to get over it!"

During her stay at the castle, Linda repeatedly experienced severe physical pain, but she learned to endure it silently. Since ancient times, Helena has taught herself to think that you have to pay for everything in life. The impending death of the mentor was alarming and encouraged Linda to hurry.

She didn't want to practice magic alone, especially in its most difficult and frightening sections. But the girl did not foresee that the pain would be so acute. She had bitten the stick inserted into her mouth and was now making shrill screams as she tried to free herself from the straps her mentor had tied to the chair. While Haya, having stopped working in the kitchen, covered her ears and cried quietly, unable to bear the desperate screams, from time to time turning into a piercing howl.

"Now I'm going to free you and help you change, otherwise the tights are all wet" Helena said when it was over and Linda, in a semi-fainting state, sank onto the straps: "Don't touch your face with your hands! It's okay, it just bled from the nose, and it showed through the skin on the forehead. I'll clean it up now. Maybe I should have taken a thicker wand, otherwise the teeth would have to be treated. Wait with the clothes, first I'll rub you with ointment. Don't move: this is another remedy, it will help you recover faster. Now you can get dressed. Gasd! Come over here and help me put Rinda to bed. Take a rest, Mihai, and I will prepare a decoction for you so that your teeth will recover faster".

Linda didn't take in the words that were being said to her. There was a ringing in her ears, she felt weak and it was hard to breathe. It was as if she was floating somewhere far away and no longer felt any toothache or pain from the numerous injuries in her muscles and ligaments that she received during the procedure, when her body convulsively collapsed. She did not wait for the healing decoction and fell asleep or fainted.

"Poor girl!" Hasd said to Helena: "Surely you couldn't do without it?"

"If I could have found another solution, I wouldn't have put her at such risk" Helena said, rubbing the tears still running down her cheeks: "It would have taken her ten years to reach my level. I have very little time left, I don't want her to learn the most difficult things herself. I've fallen in love with this girl, Lord, and I don't want to lose her!"