Wizard World Irregular

Ethan didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt that something was wrong the moment he stepped into the Dud Manor after coming from the Grand Coliseum.

He had just parted ways with Nicole a moment ago, and everything seemed fine until now.

“Am I just overthinking things?” Ethan thought as he closed the gate of the manor and entered the main door.

A dozen steps later, he arrived at the Common Room, where most of his friends and acquaintances gathered before sleeping for the night.

The fireplace was burning merrily as usual, but the people who could normally be seen at this time weren’t there.

Instead, there was someone sitting on one of the chairs in the lounge and was even looking at Ethan with a smile.

“How?” Ethan muttered in disbelief because he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“How?” The Man arched an eyebrow. “Have you forgotten that you have an appointment with me? Or did you forget all about it after you returned from Nightfall Academy? Seriously, Ethan. I’m hurt.”

The older man placed his hand over his chest and sighed in an exaggerated manner, making Ethan wonder if he had fallen asleep and was already inside a dream.

“No, you’re not in a dream,” the Man said with an amused expression on his face. “Seriously? Is it really surprising to see me in my own home?”

Ethan pinched his arm to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming.

The pain he felt confirmed his suspicion, making him shift his attention back to the devilish-looking middle-aged man with light-brown hair and green eyes that seemed to be filled with wisdom.

A mischievous smile hung on his face as if he was in the midst of pranking someone.

He was none other than…

“Sir Fortis Dud,” Ethan said. “I remember now that you told me that we would talk again after I returned to the academy.”

“Good.” Fortis Dud nodded. “At least you remembered. Well, then. Since we’re already here, have a seat. The two of us have a lot of things to talk about.”

Ethan nodded and sat on the chair beside the Founder of Brynhildr Academy.

“Before anything else, let’s do a recap of what we have talked about in the past. As I mentioned before, Morrigan’s Ring, which is now in your hand, has seven abilities,” Fortis Dud explained. “The first is Storage, and the second is Capture.

“The five other abilities are still hidden, and you will only find out what they are once you have unlocked their features. I know that it can be annoying, but in my lifetime, I was only able to unlock four of them.”

The Founder of the Dud Manor held up four fingers, making Ethan widen his eyes in shock. He originally thought that Fortis Dud had managed to unlock all the features of Morrigan’s Ring. However, it seemed that the ring in his possession was more mysterious than he imagined.

“As much as I want to tell you about the two abilities that I discovered by accident, it’s a rule that I shouldn’t share those things with its next owner. So you’ll just have to discover them on your own, young man,” Fortis Dud stated.

“However, even if you don’t unlock all of its secrets during your lifetime, don’t feel down. My predecessor only managed to unlock five of them before he kicked the bucket.”

The middle-aged man chuckled, which made the atmosphere ease up a little.

From time to time, Ethan would glance at the stairs and wonder what would happen if some of the residents stumbled upon the two of them talking.

They would probably be shocked to see one of the Founders of the Academy having a casual chat with one of the Duds in his Manor.

“You don’t have to worry. Right now, there are only the two of us in this manor,” Fortis Dud said as if he already knew what Ethan was thinking. “We’re in a separate dimension from the real one, so even if you shout or cause a commotion, no one will appear to complain.”

Fortis Dud then stood up and made a gesture for Ethan to follow him.

Since he felt that the middle-aged man didn’t mean him any harm, Ethan followed without a word until they arrived in the small library inside the Manor, where Fortis Dud’s portrait could be seen.

“The one who drew this portrait was my wife, Bianca,” Fortis Dud said. “Bless her soul. She may not be the most beautiful woman in the world, but she is no doubt the kindest woman I’ve met in my lifetime. She was too good for me, and I was very happy to share my remaining years with her.”

After looking at the Portrait fondly, Fortis Dud pushed it upward, revealing a keyhole hidden behind the portrait.

“Ethan, do you know what the key to a man’s heart is?” Fortis Dud asked with a smirk on his face.

“Food?” Ethan replied.

There was a famous saying that the key to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

“While that is true, there is also something else, and it’s called lingerie,” Fortis Dud replied with a straight face, making Ethan wonder if he had misheard him.

The Founder of Dud Manor laughed after seeing the young man’s expression

“No, you didn’t mishear me. The answer is really lingerie,” Fortis Dud patted Ethan’s shoulder as if he were a mentor telling his junior the most important lessons about life. “Do you know what lingerie is? It’s women’s underwear.”

“… I know what lingerie is,” Ethan replied, doing his best to stop his lips from twitching.

“Good.” Fortis Dud nodded. “Lingerie is created for men, not women. I should know because those who don’t get turned on by sexy lingerie have sh*t taste. You are a fine young man, so I believe that you understand what I’m talking about, right? Right?”

As if making sure that they were on the same page, Fortis Dud asked Ethan twice, making the latter reluctantly nod his head.

Fortis Dud chuckled because he was just spouting bullsh*t.

He just wanted to see Ethan make a troubled expression, which was something that his predecessor had done to him as well.

In short, what he was doing was simply part of the tradition handed down to those who were chosen by Morrigan’s Ring to become its next owner.

In order to not embarrass the young man further, Fortis Dud took out his wand and placed its tip at the keyhole in front of it.

“Those who don’t believe in Magic will never find it.”

Fortis Dud said and turned the wand in his hand as if it was a key unlocking a lock.

A moment later, the wall in front of them parted, revealing a staircase that led underground.

“I can’t go past this point, Ethan,” Fortis Dud said. “So you will have to find out for yourself what lies at the end of this path. But, be warned. Only enter this place when your magic is at its peak. Once you're in, there are challenges that will require you to use magic in order to overcome them.”

The Founder of Dud Manor placed his hands behind his back and winked at the young man, who was standing in front of him.

“We will meet again in the future. But before I go, let me give you one last piece of advice,” Fortis Dud said.

“The heart moves where the heart wills, and True Magic comes from the heart. I’ll see you again, Ethan. And I hope that the next time we meet, you have already found the answers to your questions.”

The Founder of Dud Manor winked at Ethan one last time before snapping his fingers.

A moment later, Ethan broke out of his daze and found himself lying on the carpeted floor, with a quarter of the residents of Dud Manor looking at him with weird expressions on their faces.