The Dark Mage Of The Magus World-Chapter 104 - 105: Uncle Dino

"Uncle Dino?"

Hutson’s brows furrowed slightly. The name was familiar—too familiar. Could it be the same Dino the Sorcerer he had once known?

Elusha chuckled softly, her voice like the chime of distant silver bells. "That’s right. The very same Dino you’re thinking of. The one who brought you across the seas to the continent of Karag."

Hutson’s expression darkened for a moment. So, she knew Dino. And not just in passing—it seemed their connection ran deep.

His sharp senses caught a faint fluctuation of magic around her, a barely perceptible ripple in the air. Weak. Even among first-tier apprentice sorcerers, her power was pitifully thin.

That was the cruel truth of the arcane path. Without talent, no amount of meditation could bridge the gap.

If Hutson had been cursed with a miserable aptitude like Fegal—a mere five points of potential—he would have needed decades just to manifest his first star in meditation. Climbing further, to second-tier, third-tier? Impossible.

The road of a sorcerer was merciless. For those born with weak talent, it was a path to nowhere.

Fegal was an anomaly—an exception to the rule. How he had forced his way to second-tier was a mystery, but Hutson knew one thing: his mind was dangerously unstable.

But Elusha...

If she called Dino "uncle," that meant they were separated by at least one generation.

Yet, there was something strange about that.

Dino had been sailing the seas for seventy, maybe eighty years. Though he looked like a man in his forties, Hutson knew he was at least a century old.

First-tier sorcerers had lifespans reaching well over three hundred years. By those standards, Dino was still young.

Hutson’s gaze lingered on Elusha as he asked, "Uncle? Dino is over a hundred years old. If he’s your uncle... does that make you seventy or eighty as well?"

Elusha let out a melodic laugh, shaking her head. "What nonsense are you saying? Dino is actually my great-grandfather. I’ve just always called him uncle since childhood. He never cared for formalities."

"I see."

Hutson nodded slightly, now understanding the oddity. Elusha had married into Ryan City at twenty. That meant she was only twenty-eight now. It had struck him as bizarre that she would address Dino so casually, but now the reason was clear.

Elusha adjusted her position on the silk-draped bed, shifting slightly.

The thin robe slipped from her shoulder, revealing a glimpse of smooth, snow-white skin.

Around her bed, a veil of dark gauze hung like a shroud, ensuring no ordinary person could see what lay beyond.

But Hutson was no ordinary person.

With his AI chip Vision, he could see through the illusion as clearly as if the veil weren’t there at all.

Elusha settled back against the cushions, her fingers lazily plucking another grape from the tray. "I’ve known about you for some time, you know."

Hutson’s gaze sharpened. "Dino told you about me?"

"That’s right." She rolled the grape between her fingers before tossing it into her mouth. "Uncle Dino returned from the sea some time ago, bringing me a few gifts.

He also shared some of his stories... including one about an unusual sorcerer’s apprentice he met on the waves."

Hutson exhaled softly. "I never imagined I’d leave such an impression on Dino."

At the time, he had been nothing more than a novice—a mere apprentice at the very start of his journey. Dino, on the other hand, was a true sorcerer, a figure of immense power. For someone like him to recall their meeting and speak of it to others...

It was unexpected.

Elusha’s lips curled into a smirk. "I remembered your name from then on. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

And when you arrived in Ryan City, the Adventurer’s Guild passed your records to me within half a month.

They were wary of you. A ’Mysterious One’ stepping into their city? Of course, they had to inform me."

Hutson sighed. The moment Elusha had spoken his true name, he had already suspected as much.

"So it was the guild that leaked my identity."

Elusha stretched lazily, arching her back slightly as she crossed one leg over the other. "Don’t blame Milo.

He meant no harm. In fact, he specifically advised me to be lenient with you."

Hutson frowned. "Oh?"

"He called you a ’lawful’ Mysterious One. Someone who wouldn’t disrupt the city’s order. That’s rare in our world, you know."

Elusha’s gaze softened slightly. "After you arrived, I had people observe you from a distance for a few days. I saw for myself—you kept to yourself, rarely left your home, and posed no threat to the city. So, I decided not to interfere."

She let out a soft sigh, shifting again. "It was clear you only wanted a quiet place to stay for a while."

Hutson nodded slightly. That much was true.

But now, things had changed.

His voice grew serious. "Then why did you take my request? Do you have information about the Moonstone Herb?"

Elusha’s playful expression faded slightly. "I did."

Hutson’s gaze locked onto hers. "Did?"

She exhaled, tilting her head. "I had two portions of Moonstone Herb. But... they were stolen before I could deliver them."

The air around them tensed.

Hutson’s voice was cold. "You are the ruler of Ryan City. Your father is Duke Barton. Who would dare steal from you?"

"A sorcerer."

Elusha’s expression darkened. "Not a full-fledged one, but an apprentice. Judging by their power, they were either a first or second-tier sorcerer’s apprentice."

Hutson’s fingers tapped against the armrest of his chair. So it was a sorcerer. That explained why she had called him here.

But something still didn’t add up.

"You are Dino’s descendant," he said slowly. "And Doris Kingdom is under the jurisdiction of Dream Isle. No sorcerer’s apprentice would dare rob you."

His gaze bore into hers. "So tell me—who are we really dealing with?"

Elusha let out a soft sigh, her chest rising and falling in a slow, mesmerizing rhythm. The subtle motion, combined with the dim candlelight, gave the entire chamber an intoxicating, dreamlike quality.

Her voice carried a quiet resignation. "Dino and I are close, but beyond him, I know no other sorcerers."

She shifted slightly, the silken fabric of her robe slipping from her shoulder before she absentmindedly pulled it back up.

"With my talent, I don’t even qualify to enter Dream Isle. Dino always said that joining a sorcerer’s order wouldn’t do me any good anyway. He spends most of his life at sea—he can’t always be there to watch over me. So instead, he advised me to stay here, in Ryan City, where I could live a stable life as its ruler. A quiet existence... safe from the dangers of the arcane world."

Hutson listened in silence. It was true—the path of sorcery was brutal. Without talent, it was nothing more than a slow descent into madness or insignificance.

He glanced at her again. Despite her words, Elusha hardly seemed like someone content with an uneventful life.

"And Dino?" he asked finally. "Has he set sail again?"

Elusha let out a soft chuckle. "Of course. He’s always busy."

She idly plucked another grape from the silver tray beside her, rolling it between her fingers before tossing it into her mouth. "That’s why, when the Moonstone Herb was stolen, I had no one to turn to. You’re the only sorcerer I can reach."

She sighed again, her frustration evident. "I wouldn’t have disturbed you, but then I saw you had posted a request for Moonstone Herb at the Adventurer’s Guild. That made me think—maybe you’d be interested in hearing what I have to say."

Hutson’s gaze sharpened. "When was it stolen?"

"Ten days ago."

Hutson spread his hands slightly. "Even if I wanted to help, the thief is long gone by now. I don’t have any way to track them."

A knowing smile flickered across Elusha’s lips. "I don’t know where he is now... but I know where he’s going next."

Hutson’s expression shifted. "Where? And how do you know?"

Elusha propped herself up on her elbows, shifting once again. This time, she lay on her stomach, her robe pressing tightly against her curves. Behind her, her bare feet swayed idly in the air, as if she had not a care in the world.

"The one who stole my Moonstone Herb doesn’t belong to any sorcerer’s order." She rested her chin on her palm, her voice taking on a languid, almost playful tone. "You see, not every apprentice has the means to join organizations like Moonlight Grove or Dream Isle."

Hutson listened intently, intrigued.

Elusha’s fingers trailed absentmindedly across the silk sheets. "Sorcery demands resources. Without them, no apprentice—no matter how talented—can advance."

Her smile deepened. "That’s why, once a year, rogue sorcerer apprentices gather in secret to hold a market."

Hutson’s eyes narrowed.

"A market?"

Elusha nodded, her gaze gleaming in the dim candlelight.

"A gathering where apprentices like him—those without a formal order—come to trade, buy, and sell whatever resources they’ve managed to acquire."

She tilted her head slightly, her smirk widening.

"And I know exactly where it will be held."