High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1263: Chapter 10 Great Sage

The changes in the North District were surely related to Sister Korma’s promotion to Big Wizard.

The closer Zheng Qing got to Jini Cottage, the more certain he became of this fact.

Especially after entering Gu Diao Street, the gray-robed Tricksters crowded the street, their expressions devout as they faced in the direction of Jini Cottage—Zheng Qing had never known there were so many Tricksters in the North District, like rabbits sprouting up on a meadow after spring rain, densely packed and a dull gray hue—even though the crowd was unusually quiet, the frenzy and excitement on their faces gave the young public-funded student a feeling of fear and trepidation.

”Next time I come to the North District, I’m definitely going to wear a gray robe,” the young man said in a hushed voice to the Witch’s ear. The two were dressed quite differently from the gray-robed Tricksters around them, drawing quite a few glances. He felt very uncomfortable about it.

Perhaps because of the breath of his words, Jiang Yu’s earlobes visibly reddened.

”Have you been to Jini Cottage before?” asked the Witch, still looking very composed, just clutching her shawl a bit tighter: ”It’s my first time here, I was even thinking of finding a Guide...”

”I came here to Jini Cottage with Fatty and Doctor during the winter break to do a mission,” Zheng Qing reminisced with a hint of sigh.

It was on that trip to the North District that he burst a demon beast and forged an unbreakable bond with Satoguya. Sister Korma also managed to advance to a Big Wizard, using the backlash against Satoguya.

Sometimes, he thought, Destiny was indeed very strange.

”You don’t necessarily have to wear a gray robe, just something simple will do,” the Witch smiled, neither affirming nor denying the young man’s suggestion. She had noticed those unusual gazes around them too.

Their distinctly different attire and aura from the North District Tricksters was both good and bad. The downside was that wherever the two young Wizards went, they would attract a great deal of friendly and unfriendly stares; the upside, however, was that no one dared to block their path.

More than once, Zheng Qing had seen the Tricksters maintaining Order whipping line-cutters out of the queue with their whips, and then having them kneel on the side of the street with their hands on their heads in repentance.

Meanwhile, the young public-funded student in the red gown from Jiuyou Academy could pass through the dense crowd with his companion unhindered—he didn’t even need to lift his Magic Wand like Moses; the crowd would naturally part for them.

Even at the Sakura Pub entrance, notoriously strict in their checks, the gray-robed doorkeeper bowed down to let the two outsiders pass after seeing the two shiny badges hanging from the young public-funded student’s chest.

Not a single Trickster in line offered any objection.

The feeling was complex.

”The Great Sage is upstairs blessing the Devout, and you two can take a rest in the pub downstairs,” said the gray-robed female Trickster, patiently arranging for the two young Wizards after leading them into the Sakura Pub: ”The pub offers a variety of juices, drinks, and pastries for guests to enjoy at their convenience.”

The female Trickster was very pretty, but she fiddled with a palm-sized brown-skin frog in her hand, even when talking to customers, now and then pulling out the frog’s tongue and twisting it around her fingers.

However, the young public-funded student was not drawn to the frog; he noticed a word the gray-robed Witch had just used.

”Great Sage?” Zheng Qing’s expression momentarily stiffened before he asked softly, ”Is it Sister Korma?”

It seemed that being directly addressed as ’Korma’ by a young man was highly offensive to the female trickster, her face darkened, and her tone became a bit harsher, ”Yes. But in the North District, you should also refer to ’Great Sage.’”

In the midst of speaking, she yanked hard on the tongue of the brown-skinned frog she was holding, bulging its eyes out. Zheng Qing couldn’t help but swallow his spit.

Then he quickly apologized.

He admitted that he was a bit impetuous, but it wasn’t entirely his fault. After all, a title like ’Great Sage’ is often difficult for average people to associate directly with a witch in her twenties who hasn’t even graduated from college. According to the general perception, the title ’Sage’ is always awarded to those with high moral standing, or to elder wizards with a beard white as snow.

Even though he knew that Sister Korma had already advanced to the rank of Big Wizard, the title ’Great Sage’ was honestly beyond the young cost student’s expectations.

”I’m not quite sure, is this the Sakura Pub I visited last time?” After watching the gray-robed Witch leave, Zheng Qing muttered, glancing around subconsciously. Unfortunately, although he had been to Gini Cottage, it was always through the side stairway directly to the second floor, and he had hardly ever stayed in the small pub on the ground floor.

Outside the pub, devout grey-robed figures filled every gap in the courtyard, with several cherry blossom trees being jostled by the crowd, their branches left bare.

Aside from the name, Zheng Qing couldn’t find a single detail that aligned with his memory of that tranquil courtyard.

”Great Sage,” the young cost student mulled over the title, feeling a layer of goosebumps rise on his back. He shivered involuntarily and turned to look at Jiang Yu, ”Do you remember who the last wizard was who had this title?”

”There were many,” the Witch recited without hesitation a long list of names: ”Merlin from Britannia, who had the title of Great Sage at the English royal court; the Logical Wizard from Huaxia, who had the title recognized by the Mage Alliance; the creator of classical dimension theory, Leibniz, the modern dimension theory pioneer, Albert, the postmodern dimension theory creator, Yu Rui, all held the title of Sage... Oh, and our principal, who is also recognized as a Great Sage in the wizard world.”

”Give me a minute, and I can list even more names,” the Witch added finally.

”No, that’s not necessary,” Zheng Qing said, feeling cold sweat streaming down from his forehead to the back of his neck.

He explained softly, ”I just feel... that Sister Korma and that title seem to be a bit of a stretch.”

”A stretch?” Jiang Yu’s gaze passed through the blurred windows of the small pub and landed on the devout grey-robed figures in the courtyard, her expression very serious, ”No, I think she truly deserves it... Do you remember anything unusual about the Witch who just brought us in?”

Zheng Qing thought of the frog whose tongue was being pulled.

”She was playing with a frog the whole time, a bit rude,” the young man immediately responded.

”You should focus on more important things,” the Witch cast a reproachful glance at him.

More important things? Where? The pretty Witch’s chest? The young man made a snide comment in his mind.

But the next thing Jiang Yu said made him feel an awakening clarity, ”... If you paid a little more attention to your surroundings, you would realize that the magical vitality of North Beta Town has greatly increased, and compared to other peripheral areas of Beta Town, it’s not much less... And just now, that gray-robed Witch, the magic power swirling around her, was clearly the result of having used a Standard Curse not long ago.”