Although the entire Sarifal region is under the control of the Octarine tower, it was not the only magic force within said region.

There are a few organizations that call Sarifal their home as well, naturally they all exist as vassals to the Octarine tower and pay tributes, taxes and respect to the tower in return for protection.

.. and for being allowed to continue existing, of course. But that was just a minor detail.

One of these organizations was the college of the Purple hand. Their headquarters was in the Kazzat kingdom and they had the most influence there as well.

The Octarine tower did not see these vassals as threats at all, but they were not fools either, that was why they made sure to suppress them at every turn.

Keeping a close eye on their movements was always necessary.

Next was, the tower of Secrets, one of the five factions of the Octarine tower had the most presence and influence in Kazzat.

Most notably, the court mage of Kazzat was the councilman, Yorrick the blind. Although he was known for being mysterious and secretive so not many people knew what he was up to.

If Meeralah found a suitable pretext through Esdras to get a foothold in Kazzat then she could take one more step forward in restoring the lost influence of the Crimson faction.

It could also show that she was bold and brave.

It was only after understanding everything that he could get his hands on that Esdras made this risky proposal, this is why he waited and deliberated on his best course of action before having this meeting.

"I can see that you thought this through." Meeralah sighed looking a little impressed but then shook her head.

"Unfortunately the answer is still no."

Esdras closed his eyes for a moment and breathed out in an attempt to calm himself. "Can you tell me why?"

"Esdras, since you thought of things so far, I am sure you already know why. You can't cover up your lack of experience and most importantly your low level."historical

Meeralah tapped the table with her nail causing a ringing noise, "even with all of the points you made, it is still outrageous to hand you such a position."

"I may be weak right now, but I will grow at an unprecedented rate, I assure you."

Esdras was not saying empty words nor was he joking.

"I am glad that you are confident in your self, that is good. But my concerns are too many. Think about it what will people say if I give you such a position out of nowhere? Not to mention the mages who are already many years of faithful service at my side. It would creat too much chaos."

Esdras knew she was right, it was a long shot. In fact, this was a side that did not occur to him, even for her it would be too selfish of him to make her take such a risk for an unknown apprentice like him.

While he did perform well so far, these were just not enough. Above all, he was too weak to hold that position even in a remote region.

".. why don't you tell me what the conditions you are looking for and I will see what I can do?"

The question awoke him from his thoughts and he was momentarily stunned and didn't know what to say.

"Did you think you could hide your thoughts from me? It's fine if you have something you want to do. With your talent and achievements so far it's only natural for you to get special treatment. There is no need to try and mask your intentions."

Esdras was embarrassed slightly, now that she said that he wondered if he was too careful? Sometimes being over cautious could be a hurdle and instead cause harm.

"You need a quite environment, probably for research or spell construction. You also don't plan on being a busybody and running around. That is my guess, am I right?"

Esdras nodded. She hit the nail on the head.

"If possible, I want to be stationed close to my own territory. There maybe a secret rebellion lead by my uncle to steal my birthright, being away from my subjects alienated me from them. As you can image I am a little anxious about that."

"What?! Some fucking peasants actually dare to rebel?! Unforgivable."

The Great mage's demeanor changed and her warm charm was replaced by a churning volcano about to explode.

"Alright, I think I have the perfect position for you. Actually, there is a guardian, not in Kazzat specifically but close to the east, beyond the border. I think they call it the wild lands."

"The wild lands!"

Esdras couldn't help but exclaim.

"Yes, but it's more like a research facility, he spends his time looking for that secret city, the mist palace. Whatever it was called."

"The holy land of the barbarians and demi-humans?!"

Esdras, having grown up in that area knew a little bit about the folklore around the legend. It was a story about a missing city or a castle, it was unclear which.

However it is said when the time came and it was found a great king will rise in the wild lands and he will lead the barbarians and demi-humans to conquer the continent starting an age of blood, glory and endless riches.

It was never found and most people believe it to be a fake rumor that was spread out of control.

But, to think that a Great mage chose to live in such an uncivilized place in search of such a thing, it might have some credibility after all.

"Calm down, he is just that kind of person. He spends his days lazing around without doing anything productive."

Meeralah clicked her tongue as she badmouthed her senior mercilessly but Esdras could tell that there was a touch of warmth in her eyes.

"That is why, I will give you the position of a guardian's personal steward. After you meet up with him just get back to your territory and do what you have to do. At most you just have to show him your face once or twice a year. How does that sound?"