The Forest Feeds No Idle Goblins

"What is that?" Affif looked at the coarse brown cloth bag in Victor's hand. It didn't seem like anything special, but his old rival's infuriating expression proved that this "Red Bull" might just surprise him.

"You old coot, you wouldn't be showing off something ordinary. What exactly does this thing do?" he asked suspiciously.

"You want to know, do you?" Grand Mage Victor tossed the bag lightly in his hand, even using Magic to make it spin in the air. "Don't you just really want to know?"

"Ahem." Vivian, unable to watch the two childish old men bicker any longer, cleared her throat pointedly.

Immediately, Affif shot Victor a look before turning to Vivian with a smile. "You must know what this is, don't you, Little Vivian?"

"Mr. Affif," Vivian said calmly, "this is a beverage a friend of mine found on the continent. Its effects are quite good. It can effectively boost one's Spiritual Power and also relieve fatigue."

"Is that so?" Affif didn't even glance at his old rival, instead flicking his gaze to the coarse cloth bag. "Those effects do sound interesting. I'll have to try some later."

"I never agreed to—" The old Mage Victor's eyebrow twitched as he started to refuse.

"Oh, give it a rest, you old coot. You brought it out in front of me on purpose. Weren't you just trying to show off?" Affif cut him off directly. "Besides, this belongs to Vivian. You're just her teacher."

Then, without giving the old Mage Victor a chance to retort, he immediately turned to Vivian with a smile. "Well then, follow me. I'll take you to the parlor. By the way, Little Vivian, have you truly never considered switching teachers?"

Affif waved his hand, and the two Gargoyles at the door immediately sat up ramrod straight, returning to their original stone appearance. Vivian could only offer an apologetic smile and turn to console the old Mage Victor, whose nose was practically twisted with anger.

'Even before they arrived, she knew the two of them would argue. She had seen how they didn't get along when they helped with her Divination before. But her teacher had still brought her to Plantagenet City, and for that, Vivian was incredibly grateful to him.'

...

SPLASH. Hot water poured into the cup. As a silver spoon stirred, the liquid quickly turned a pale yellow. Vivian picked up a piece of crystallized honey from the side. "You can also add honey to this Red Bull, according to your taste."

"Mm," Arcane Grandmaster Affif took a small sip of the "Red Bull" from his cup. "Adding a little honey does make it better."

"Why is your Magic Power so depleted?" Grand Mage Victor asked suddenly after taking a sip of the drink.

Affif stirred his "Red Bull" with the silver spoon without looking up at Victor. "Someone asked me for a prophecy. It was a troublesome one, and the person's status is too high for me to easily refuse."

"How high could it be?" Victor's tone held a trace of disdain. They both belonged to the Magic Federation and didn't really need to pay much mind to the thoughts and requests of nobles.

"The Second Prince." Affif was silent for a few seconds before revealing the client's name.

"Hm?" Grand Mage Victor frowned. "The heir to the Fran Kingdom? Don't tell me he wanted to know when he'd be crowned king?"

"Something a little more troublesome than that," Affif said, taking a large gulp of "Red Bull." "He wanted to know about the future—how large the Fran Kingdom's territory would be."

A flicker crossed Victor's eyes. "Very ambitious, and very confident."

"I gave him a prophecy, but I didn't tell him the actual situation," Affif said, blowing on his cup. "I only told him that in the future, the Fran Kingdom's territory would be about the same size as it is now."

"Then what did you actually see?" Vivian asked at the perfect moment. She too was curious about what would happen to this vast kingdom in the future.

"The Fran Kingdom is gone," Affif said calmly, taking another sip of "Red Bull."

"Gone?" Vivian shot up from her chair in shock. "How could it be gone? Did the kingdom fall, or...?"

"Child, knowing too much isn't good for you." Arcane Grandmaster Affif looked at Vivian with a benevolent smile, like an elder doting on his grandchild—if one could ignore the pink bow tied into his beard.

"Listen to him, Vivian," the old Mage Victor advised his apprentice. "Sometimes, his advice is actually important for you."

'Vivian frowned and nodded slightly. She knew these two just had clashing personalities, and that their unpleasantness was compounded by a falling out in their youth over a woman named Anna. But in a way, they were also kindred spirits. Mr. Affif didn't want to tell her the details because he didn't want her to get involved, and her own teacher, Victor, clearly agreed with him.'

"I have to say, this stuff really is quite good." Affif changed the subject, studying the "Red Bull" in his hand and raising an eyebrow. "I can actually feel my Spiritual Power improving a bit. If I drink more, I might even get back to a state of peak alertness."

He took another sip of "Red Bull." "It really is good stuff. Did you come here intending to give it all to me?"

"In your dreams," the old Mage Victor said immediately. "You stole Anna from me back then, and now you want to steal this too?"

Vivian calmly sipped her drink, but her ears had already perked up. 'Am I finally going to hear something interesting today?'

"In your hands, this stuff would just be feeding the fish at the bottom of the sea. Only with me can its true potential be realized." Affif sat up straight, looking for all the world like he was the only one who could recognize its true value.

"You're just cooped up here in Plantagenet City," Victor said, deliberately turning his head away. "Wasting so much Magic Energy every day just to keep this floating magic room of yours aloft... It's so inefficient. It's not nearly as good as my undersea Magic Tower."

"What do you know? Even if it consumes that much Magic Power to maintain this floating Rune Array, how many people can actually do it?" Affif sneered. "Throughout the entire Magic Federation, mine is the only Magic Tower like this."

After speaking, he ignored his old rival's expression and turned to Vivian. "Little Vivian, where did you get this? You can give it all to me. I can help you bring out its greatest effect."

"Its greatest effect?" At this, Vivian's emerald eyes widened. Her teacher had said before that this "Red Bull" powder could be used as an aid for practicing Magic. 'Could it be that the Arcane Grandmaster, Mr. Affif, has an even better method for effectively utilizing this strange beverage?'

"Correct," Affif nodded firmly. He spoke with a serious expression, "This stuff has greatly lessened my fatigue, and it's even quickened the flow of blood in my body. I believe it must have a greater purpose."

"What is it?" Vivian asked hopefully, her eyes sparkling.

"It could be a very effective aphrodisiac."