Shades of the New World

In Evin's test room, alongside the usual Rith and Karan, stood two men, one old and one younger. Aran and Ssatsko came to talk with Evin about his future magic studies.

"As you probably realize, there are some limitations forced upon us when we first start learning magic from others, namely mage organizations and countries and we call them Oaths. You can think of it as a World Contract, but it's a bit less severe, with all the new conditions the Authorities are adding to their Contracts," Aran began.

"There are also slight differences to each of the countries' Oaths as well. For example, the South would demand that their mages to never betray the Island Alliance. It seems a bit too harsh for their mages, but they make it up for their enclosed and uncheatable system where individuals are evaluated based on their own merits. If you prove yourself to be talented enough, you will not find yourself in lack of resources and knowledge. Strength is truth there, so to speak," Ssatsko added.

"For the East, their Oath requires the mages to not question the higher-up's orders and perform it. You can actually refuse the order for whatever reason, but if you fail to perform the given order, your contributions will be nullified and you would have to perform a few other tasks to restore your contributions. The Kingdom is a bit more lax, we only require you to not disclose its methods and secrets, and if you ever discover a new form of magic usage, you must submit it to the kingdom's archive as well. That's the general condition, but there are a few ways to get over it as well. Mostly, it will be related to contributions, like me," Aran said.

So if I have something that I absolutely must hide, I can do it if I have enough contributions.

"Did you opt for that decision with that secret spell of yours?"

Evin was almost killed at the designs of a mage who was afraid that Evin would learn of Aran's spell.

"Yes, which is why I have to either pay the kingdom ten thousand gold, or I have to participate in three battles for the kingdom,"

"For the North, it is similar to the Kingdom, we require you to keep the secrets of the Ivari horn with your life and if the North ever falls into trouble, you must drop everything else you are involved in and go to assist the Tribes. And also, the North can call upon you three times in your life. If you ever manage to fight for the North three times, then you will be free from the second condition," Ssatsko explained.

"And every Oath a mage takes will not allow you to attack or kill a common person without them provoking you. That was why Kens couldn't simply kill you himself, he had to rout up a bunch of 2nd grade citizens to do it," Aran added.

'It's kinda funny how they take turn when speaking like they're doing some sort of collab presentation. It's kinda cute,' Evin thought briefly.

"Can I take two Oaths?"

"Yes, though it is a bit rare, you may take the Oath for the Kingdom and another country, since the kingdom does not require you to fight for them. You can add the East to the mix, but that's even more rare," Aran said.

Evin found it plausible. The East required you to follow orders, and the South outright required you to become a loyal dog. The North is a little special, since only when they call upon you three times, but it still might be in conflict with the other countries. What Evin was interested in, though, were other types of oaths.

"What about Tower City?"

"The Capital is a bit special. There's no single entity that governs there. They are ruled by the Ten Factions, that divide the City into ten parts. You can join any of them and they'll have their own sets of oaths and conditions," Aran said.

"So it's possible for organizations to have their own oaths as well?"

[The bastards from the organization that caught me made me take such an Oath. I feel as if it's stronger than the ones that the countries use, since it even followed my soul to my afterlife,] Karan said inside Evin's head.

"Yes. But the oath you take for a country will take precedence over them. So if you receive orders from a country and an organization and they collide with each other for whatever reason, you must perform the Country's orders first and then do the one for the organization afterwards, if it is possible"

Evin found the matter slightly annoying and confusing, but since Oaths and Contracts that cannot be broken easily existed in this World, naturally it would paint a different scene compared to how it was on Earth.

"Anyhow, Aran and I wanted to tell you that you should take the Oaths for the Kingdom and the Tribes. You need to take one for the kingdom since that's the only way you can get into the Academy, while the Tribes require it for your Horn Ceremony. Not only that, if you take the Oath for the Tribe, we can depart toward the North now and let you receive the training that young Northerners receive," Ssatsko said.

"What about Aran?"

Evin waited so long to receive Aran's tutelage, but for some reason the man ditched his promise and is now sending him to another country.

"I wanted to take you under my wing, but I have some work I owe to the kingdom. I'm sorry for the sudden change of plans. But there will be people more than qualified to teach you the basics, and after you reach the North, you'll be able to learn the more advanced knowledge about that you crave so much," Aran explained.

"What are you going to do with Arza?"

"He'll be going with you. There should be some Northern blood in him somewhere, so don't worry about him getting rejected at the Horn Ceremony,"

'Wait, Arza's coming with us? Piece of shit. Not only you ditch your promise, you even ditch your son on me?'

"Take care of your own son, take him to Arcvallen. Show him some of that big city atmosphere," Evin said in his most convincing tone.

"And then leave him there after I go to fight the South?"

"I really don't know why you and Rith find the kid so insufferable," Ssatsko said.

"You wouldn't get it," Evin and Rith said at the same time.

"In any case, I'll have to leave him in your care," Aran said.

Evin found the matter to be a bit bullshit, but found nothing wrong with the arrangements that were made for him, so he could only agree to take both Oaths.

"To take the Oath, you must first meet the Earl in charge of the surrounding territory. Unfortunately, common mages like me don't have the qualifications to carry Oath Stamps, so you'll have to meet the ruler of this town to take the Oath. Before you leave, I'll give you all the necessary books you need to study on the way and you can ask Ssatsko to explain the parts that you don't understand"

"What happens if someone decides to not take any Oaths?" Evin asked curiously.

"Then one must tackle the mammoth of a subject called magic alone. Perhaps you will find success, but I highly doubt you would want to go through such a thing," Aran said with a shrug.

Evin did not need more convincing and went on with the agreed plan.

The decision made, Evin and his family began his preparation for the journey. Evin had finally bought his own spatial storage necklace. He sold the one he found from the Easterners anonymously and bought a better one for himself.

He put all of his necessary belongings in it and was ready for the journey ahead. At the agreed date, Evin's group met with Aran and Arza and went to meet the Earl. Evin wished to invite his family to the mansion, but Aran told him that normal commoners weren't allowed inside the mansion, because of whatever reasons.