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Chapter 190: Order 5
🕑 Added 2025-06-16 09:18:19 +0000 UTC"Noah, you really shouldn't say such things."
As Master Ancient One’s lecture ended, Mordo quickly caught up with Noah, who was leaving alongside Wang. His expression was less than pleasant.
From Mordo’s perspective, it was inappropriate for Noah to openly question the Ancient One’s words—regardless of whether she ended up agreeing with him. That level of defiance unsettled him.
The Ancient One held an esteemed position in Kamar-Taj. In Mordo’s eyes, it was only natural for her words to be final.
Kamar-Taj’s students had always revered her. Yet, here was Noah—boldly offering a different opinion. Mordo found it difficult to accept.
"What’s the issue?" Noah looked at him in confusion and scratched his chin. "Is it wrong to point out problems?"
"Uh..." Mordo faltered. He wanted to say yes—but realized that would only make things worse.
Even if Noah had a point, there was a time and place. At the very least, he should've waited until after the lecture to speak to the Ancient One privately. It was disrespectful to interrupt her mid-lesson, even if she did agree with his point.
"Relax, Mordo," Noah said, shrugging with a grin. "If the teacher accepted what I said, doesn’t that mean even she recognizes that some things aren’t absolute?"
Mordo frowned. He was loyal, disciplined, but rigid. So long as the Ancient One remained, he wouldn’t go astray.
But if she ever disappeared…
"Even so, I don’t agree with everything you said."
Mordo sighed, unable to make Noah see his point through conversation alone.
"Oh? Like what?" Noah raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"I’m not here to argue about breaking the laws of nature. You're right—our very existence as magicians already defies them. But your view on power? It's far too biased."
"Biased? How so?"
"Dark power is dark power. If a good person commits a crime, does that still make him good? Noah, you’re oversimplifying things. Sure, magicians should control power instead of becoming its slaves, but there's still a difference between light and darkness."
Noah sighed, scratching the back of his head. Mordo truly was stubborn.
He wasn’t sure whether the Ancient One had ever told Mordo not to touch dark power. Either way, he felt the need to correct his understanding.
"Let me ask you something," Noah said. "You know about those addictive plants in the mundane world, right?"
"Of course I do," Mordo nodded. "I used to live among ordinary people. I'm familiar with them."
That was good enough.
"Okay, now consider this: if you go undercover and join the gang that distributes those plants in order to collect evidence and bring them down—doing the same things they do in the process—are you light or dark?"
Mordo hesitated. "That’s…"
"On the other hand," Noah continued, "if you start selling those plants just to save your family, even though it means ruining other lives—are you still in the light?"
Silence.
Mordo wasn’t stupid. The examples hit close to home—clear and personal. It was impossible not to understand.
But he’d never considered the world through that lens. To him, right was right, and wrong was wrong.
"Seems like you get it now." Noah spread his hands. "In the first case, you're walking in darkness to serve the light."
"And in the second," Mordo finished, "you're bathed in light—but committing acts born of deep darkness."
Exactly.
Someone selling addictive substances to protect their family might seem justified, but in doing so, they destroy countless lives. That’s not noble—it’s selfish.
Meanwhile, the person who infiltrates the darkness to destroy it from within may end up suffering the most—scorned, possibly killed. But they sacrifice themselves for the greater good.
Mordo stood silently, deep in thought. It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand—he just hadn’t thought of it that way.
Even the Ancient One hadn’t refuted Noah; instead, she had accepted his words after careful thought.
"I can’t believe I’ve lived more than twenty years and got bested by a fourteen-year-old," Mordo thought bitterly.
Still, he made a decision.
Even if he couldn’t grasp everything, with the Ancient One’s guidance and Noah’s insight, he would try to open his mind.
"I understand now, Noah. You're right—I still have a long way to go. If I ever go astray, I hope you'll speak up. I don’t want to stay in ignorance."
He gave Noah a serious nod and walked away.
Noah and Wang exchanged confused glances. That… was unexpected.
Given Mordo’s attitude, they thought convincing him would take hours.
Noah had even prepared more analogies—only for Mordo to admit defeat and walk away to reflect on life.
"Is he really that easy to talk to?"
Noah scratched his head. Still, it was a good thing, wasn’t it?
Mordo wasn’t a bad person. It was better that he understood now, before problems arose later.
At least he wasn’t some noble’s descendant, obsessed with replacing the Ancient One just because she didn’t have hair.
If he were that kind of guy, Noah would’ve found a way to eliminate him already.
"Eh, whatever. Why overthink it? I’ve got nothing better to do anyway."
Noah pushed the thoughts aside. A win was a win—no need to invite unnecessary stress.
---
Noah’s life returned to normal afterward. He kept to his routine, training and studying like usual.
Maybe it was because of that one lecture, but Master Ancient One didn’t resume teaching for over a month.
When she finally did return, her lectures had clearly changed—especially the parts about obeying natural laws and the nature of power.
The basic magical knowledge stayed the same, but the philosophical aspects? She had definitely incorporated some of Noah’s ideas.
Or maybe… they had always been hers. She just used Noah’s words to introduce them.
The students listened with rapt attention. But by the end, many of them turned to quietly glance at Noah.
Though there were many new faces, they had all heard about his bold stance during the last class.
Everyone knew now: this young magician, freshly enrolled in Kamar-Taj, was someone special. He had caught the Ancient One’s attention.
Why else would she agree to open a university in a place hidden for centuries?
Why else would her entire doctrine shift after he spoke?
Noah, of course, had no idea about any of this. Even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to explain it.
How could he say that the Ancient One foresaw the future’s chaos and used his words to gently shift the teachings?
---
And so, months passed.
Noah remained in Kamar-Taj, and those months brought immense progress.
Kamar-Taj truly was a sacred place of learning—not just for its vast magical knowledge, but for the speed at which one could grow in power.
Even Noah didn’t expect to improve so rapidly.
---
Name: Noah Finniel
Age: Fourteen
Mage level: Order 5, Rank 0
---
Yes—after nearly a year of study, Noah had reached Order 5.
He didn’t even know how it happened. One moment, he was practicing as usual in the system space, and the next—his magic had surged.
"Do I have the blessings of a legendary protagonist or something?"
He wasn’t sure.
But the others in Kamar-Taj were stunned.
Order 5 might not seem groundbreaking, but reaching it at fourteen? That was incredible.
"Your talent really is terrifying, Noah."
"Maybe. Or maybe it’s just because I have a great teacher," Noah replied, smirking.
Sitting in the great hall of Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One smiled at him gently. Noah allowed himself a bit of pride.
Even the most powerful mages from his home country hadn’t been this strong at his age.
The Ancient One shook her head and raised her teacup to her lips—but then, suddenly, her hand froze mid-air. Her brows furrowed.
Something had changed.
Something… was coming.
---
