Old Elias was shocked by what he heard. His magic… special? What nonsense was that? He had always been at the bottom of his family, even though he was a third-rank mage.
Nevalis continued, "Item Enhancement Magic starts in two different ways for a mage. Either it begins by enhancing objects around them—like weapons—which is an unfortunate path, as that type doesn't evolve into self-magic enhancement. Or… it starts by enhancing their own magic, like you. That's pure luck. As you or your magic rank up, your magic will evolve into full enhancement magic—enhancing both your spells and the objects around you."
"Simply put, old man, you're extremely lucky. Do you know how many people desire magic enhancement? It's one of the strongest, and it harmonizes perfectly with the user."
"You said your magic is weak and not offensive? Nonsense! The truth is, you just haven't mastered it yet. And you're in the wrong environment. Imagine fighting in a forest… hah! You'd be the king there."
Elias was stunned. He knew enhancement was rare, but to think his magic—enhancing his own spells—was both astonishing and terrifying. But… his magic was Wood Magic. Not offensive. Just useful. Yet he couldn't make use of it. He cursed his bad luck silently. If only he had Fire or Wind Magic alongside enhancement, he'd be on another level entirely.
And yet here was Nevalis telling him his magic was special—and not just that, but that it would evolve. It left Elias in disbelief.
As usual, Nevalis didn't care. He let the old man process what he'd heard, then turned to the rest.
He looked at the girl who had followed them from the beginning, along with Ryan and Evan. Her name was Serena. She was about the same age as Evan. Her hair was a bit short but smooth, combed neatly back. Her clothes were simple like the others, but there was something different about her—something elegant and striking. Was it because of her magic?
Nevalis said, "I don't know what to say. But if you don't want to join after hearing everything, you're free to go. Your magic is special. You can head to any church and work there in peace. No need to get involved in all this chaos."
Everyone turned to Serena, then looked back at Nevalis. "Another unique magic? A church?" No one understood what was going on.
After all, none of the four knew each other's magic. They had entered the room one by one.
Nevalis said, "You possess a rare type—Healing Magic. That's very special. You could go to the northern part of the kingdom, to the church there. They would gladly welcome you."
Everyone went silent, realizing the choice was now in Serena's hands.
She was shocked by the sudden turn. "Healing magic? Go to the church and leave everything behind?"
She looked at Evan, who told her, "Serena, you should definitely go to the church. Don't get caught up in this mess. Once it's all over, I'll come find you."
It was clear Evan was trying to keep her safe, not wanting her involved in what was coming. Everyone knew he cared about her. After what happened to his sister, Evan became very protective.
Serena knew that, but she responded firmly, "I will go to the church."
Evan smiled at her words—but that smile vanished with what she said next.
"But I'll go there to train my magic. Not to stay. I'll return when it all begins."
Evan shouted, "What are you saying?! Of course you won't do that! You'll stay there until this is over. That's final."
But Serena quickly replied, "Why? I want to help everyone too."
Before things escalated, Elias stepped in, asking, "Serena, is that your final decision?"
She answered with determination, "Yes."
Elias nodded, "Then do what you want."
Evan shouted, "Grandpa, what are you saying?!"
But Elias raised his voice, "Evan, don't be selfish. I understand your desire to protect her, but she's already made her choice. Who among us isn't afraid of losing someone in this?"
"You think I want to drag all of you into this? If it were up to me, I'd stop you all from joining this war. But the choice isn't mine alone. I want to protect you, but I also have to respect your decisions. So don't be selfish, Evan. Respect Serena's resolve."
Evan lowered his head and said quietly, "Understood."
At that moment, Nevalis said, "If you don't want to lose something precious, then you have to become strong enough to protect it."
Those words lit a fire in everyone's hearts. After all, each of them had something they wanted to protect.
Now, moving on to the others. Darin was a boy a bit older than Evan—seventeen years old.
Nevalis said, "Darin, you possess Combat Magic—Fire Magic. Controlling and using that requires training. Fire is known as battle magic because of its wide range and destructive power. So, train hard."
Now, next.
Darin was shocked by his magic, but even more shocked by how quickly Nevalis moved on. "What? That's it? I have fire magic for God's sake!"
He said, "Is that all?"
Nevalis raised an eyebrow. "What more do you want?"
For the second time, everyone in the room barely held back their laughter.
Nevalis ignored them and moved on to the next—Ryan.
As soon as his name was mentioned, everyone turned toward him. After all, he stood among both knights and mages—it wasn't clear which group he belonged to.
Nevalis confirmed their suspicions, "You're unique. You can use both mana and aura like me. And you even have Wind Magic, which suits swordsmanship. Honestly, you're built perfectly. But don't get cocky. You'll need to train hard—especially to get used to using both aura and magic at the same time. That's no easy feat."
"I'll make sure to teach you most of what you need in the coming months, so look forward to it."
Then he turned to the only one left—Evan.