Chapter Sixty-Two: The Tragic Fate of Dodoro

(There will be three chapters today!)

Chapter Sixty-Two: The Tragic Fate of Dodoro

Dodoro felt he must have offended the almighty gods, or perhaps he was cursed…

But thinking back, apart from swindling, cheating, dodging debts, and being a bit greedy and lustful, he hadn’t committed any particularly grave sins, had he? Well… except for routinely dozing off and daydreaming during the morning and evening prayers in his church magic lessons…

Even so, such a miserable fate shouldn’t befall Lord Dodoro!

Oh gods! I am a magician! The noblest profession on the continent, a magician!

Although he'd previously ended up in the wilds of Fire Plains to avoid creditors, after being rescued from that fierce little thief by the noble and beautiful princess, Dodoro once thought his tragic destiny had come to an end.

He knew Adeline’s noble status! To be a mere low-level, first-tier magician, and to follow at the princess’s side—even if it didn’t promise boundless prospects, at least he’d secured a long-term meal ticket and wouldn’t have to worry about food and drink.

Alas, Dodoro’s perfect plans did not come to fruition.

The poor girl had no intention of letting Dodoro accompany her. In truth, she knew that once she returned, her own fate was an unknown, so how could she let Dodoro follow her? Besides, when she took Dodoro away, it was merely to prevent him from revealing her real identity.

On the road, she forced the magician to swear a magical oath—a low-level but magically binding contract vow, enough to keep his mouth firmly shut.

So, upon returning to Fire Town, she let Dodoro go, telling him to find his own way.

Of course, the kind-hearted girl didn’t treat the magician unfairly; after all, they had endured hardship together. Before leaving, she ordered Sir Chip to give him a considerable sum of money. It wasn’t a fortune, but a hundred gold coins was enough for the magician to live comfortably for quite some time.

And she naively believed she’d done a good deed—after all, she’d granted the magician his freedom…

But she was wrong!

For someone like Dodoro, with no skills for self-preservation and magic too weak, in a place like Fire Town, where ruffians roamed the streets, he was nothing more than a fat sheep thrown into a wolf’s den.

Worse yet, this fat sheep was carrying a hundred gold coins—enough to make anyone’s eyes green with envy!

So, Dodoro’s misery began!

What infuriated the magician most was that he encountered the same gang of thugs who had robbed him before—the very ones who had stripped him naked and tossed him outside the city gates.

To their delight, the fat sheep returned, bringing another windfall!

The thugs gleefully pocketed the unexpected gains, and the poor magician was once again stripped and dumped at the corner of the city wall—this time, out of kindness, the thugs left him his underclothes.

The poor girl surely hadn’t imagined her good intentions would lead the magician to such a tragic fate.

If… if Fire Town hadn’t been occupied by the army, Dodoro could have sold himself again, perhaps to a merchant caravan as a servant. With his skills in writing and arithmetic, he could at least make a living as a cultured man.

But the real tragedy was, Dodoro, just like Shaya, encountered a gang of conscripting soldiers! Worse still, the poor magician lacked Shaya’s formidable strength.

He tried to escape, but after a few lashings, he resigned himself.

He was taken to the labor camp, where he "gloriously" became a drudge, silently contributing to the Byzantine Empire's war against the invaders…

And the lazy magician quickly became the most bullied in the labor camp. His weak constitution made him the slowest worker, yet he ate as much as anyone else. Naturally, the overseer soldiers beat him every other day.

Of course, he wasn’t without attempts to clarify his identity: a glorious and noble magician.

Sadly, his words were dismissed as mad ramblings. When he tried to cast a spell—a dust spell—it only angered the guards.

"Hey! How dare you throw sand at me!"

The magician’s reward was another thorough beating.

By the time he met Shaya, the poor magician had already struggled in the labor camp for many days…

If there were records of tragic fates among magicians on the continent over the centuries, Dodoro would surely be unmatched—never before, and never again!

To be a magician and fall so low… If word spread, magicians across the continent would be ashamed enough to want to bash their heads—though before doing so, they would surely hunt down and kill Dodoro for shaming their profession!

※※※

Dodoro sat on the ground, nose running and eyes streaming, pouring out his miserable tale to Shaya. Having shared hardships, even Shaya couldn’t help but feel some sympathy.

"Alright! I’ll take him!" Shaya turned to the fat officer and declared, "I want this one. He’ll be my squire. When can I take him away?"

The fat officer regarded Dodoro like livestock—so skinny, he’d only waste food in the labor camp.

So the greedy official put on a respectful smile: "You can take him at any time—whenever you wish."

And so…

After a long detour, the magician once again fell under Shaya’s control.

Freed from the "glorious" status of laborer, the magician’s new identity was that of a cavalryman’s squire.

…Well, a squire is a squire; at least it was a hundred times better than being a drudge.

But one sentence from Shaya shattered the magician’s dreams.

The rustic grinned and announced, "From now on, you’re my Soso again."

※※※

The only one with doubts was Kevin. Watching Shaya take away the scrawny fellow trailing pitifully behind them, Kevin couldn’t help but glance back at this suspicious character—he looked utterly sly and shifty-eyed…

Furthermore, from Kevin’s professional perspective, this fellow hardly seemed fit for the job. He looked cunning, not the sort to endure hardship, and his frail frame was ill-suited for heavy labor. Cavalry equipment was heavy—could this guy even carry it?

"Why did you pick this one?" Kevin sighed.

"An old acquaintance. He looked pitiful in the labor camp," Shaya replied casually.

"Oh? What did he do before? Any useful skills?"

Shaya thought for a moment. "Hmm, he’s a magician."

(A magician… The magician wept silently.)

"What use is a magician? He doesn’t look capable of much. And… he seems a little too crafty," Kevin expressed his concern, since a squire was important for a cavalryman.

Shaya grinned, his eyes flashing strangely. He answered Kevin’s doubt.

"Don’t worry, he’ll obey… My foster father taught me something: ‘A filial son emerges from the stick!’ Heh heh…"

(The magician spat blood… Oh gods, please pray for me, please bless me…)

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[Please note—there will be three chapters today!

The next update will be released at dusk, and the third… as usual, at midnight. Today is Sunday, so the midnight chapter is for a strong start to the new week’s rankings.

Brothers and sisters, please be ready with your votes—next week’s ranking depends on your support!]