In this day and age, people who can use magic are very rare, truly very rare. Only a handful of people can still do it, but even then, not openly, because magic has become something foreign. This is because magic is considered complicated and difficult to control.
Originally, everyone was born with their own innate magic. Natural magic, physical magic, illusion magic, object manipulation magic, elemental magic, animal magic, or creation magic. Everyone carries their own magical talents.
Unfortunately, not everyone can control their magic. Controlling magic requires extraordinary energy, practice, and hard work. This makes people feel like they are just wasting their energy. So, in the end, they give up on their magic.
In addition, in some cases of magic use, people have died from overexerting themselves to control magic by expending too much energy. This has had fatal consequences and has worsened people's views of magic.
As a result, many people consider magic to be dangerous and destructive. Gradually, people became reluctant to use their magic, even for small things. This caused magic to weaken over time until it slowly faded away on its own.
Consequently, not many people can use magic in this era. It is estimated that only about 10% of people worldwide can still use magic. However, they cannot use their full potential. Perhaps people in this era can only exert 40% of their maximum magical power, no more than that.
Because of this, people who can use magic in this era are truly rare, even extremely rare.
*****
A teenage boy walked casually towards the backyard of this large and magnificent house. He looked very neat and charismatic in his typical noble attire, as usual.
"Good morning, Lord Katheze."
"Good morning." The teenager smiled warmly, then continued on his way.
He was Katheze Leinivern, a nobleman who was only 16. But despite his young age, he already carried an extraordinary burden because, as a descendant of Leinivern, one of the five nobles blessed to lead regions in this kingdom, he had to be a good leader.
Since childhood, he had been burdened with numerous lessons and education to prepare him to become a leader who could lead this region well. Fortunately, he was aware of his responsibilities, so he devoted all his abilities to learning to be a good leader.
He always spent his time reading books, learning many things, understanding the problems of his citizens, getting to know his region, and so on. He really tried hard to make himself truly worthy of being a leader in this region.
"Ah, I never get tired of coming here every day."
Katheze smiled when he arrived at the pavilion behind his house.
This was a place where he used to relax comfortably. It was strategically located in the middle of the garden, surrounded by many beautiful trees and a small pond. The atmosphere here was also very comfortable and cool.
He sat down and put his notebook on the table. For a moment, he looked at the gardeners tending the flowers and trees in the back garden, then his cheerful expression changed.
"Huh... I really can't take it anymore, seeing the condition of the people in this region. Everyone who lives in Fernmels has the right to a decent life without being disturbed by anything or anyone."
He sighed several times, then turned his gaze to the ceiling of the pavilion.
Many things were raging in his mind. Even though he tried to remain cheerful, this issue really weighed heavily on him because it concerned his people.
"I do have power over the government system in this region. But if I don't completely eradicate the root of the problem, then it will be useless. The destroyers will continue to commit crimes and make my people suffer."
"There are so many crimes and evils committed in this region by the nobles, by people who come and go from this region, and also by the people around here. But I cannot truly resolve the problems in this region completely."
Katheze sighed, then stood up and walked around, folding his hands on his chest. He had already thought of a solution to the problem he was facing, but it was so brutal that he had to be sure before deciding on it.
Truly, his view of this region had completely changed since he discovered he could use magic. Because with his magic, he could observe firsthand how his people lived.
Fernmels was a region located at the farthest edge of the kingdom. Although it lacked an ocean, the region's natural resources were truly abundant. Beautiful mountains, beautiful highlands, vast grasslands, lush forests, fast-flowing rivers, and many springs surrounded this region.
Fernmels was fertile and abundant in natural resources. Many people here farmed and raised livestock, and they processed their produce into excellent products. And because of all that, the people who lived in this region should have been able to live safe, comfortable, and prosperous lives.
Yes, they should have. But the reality was not like that.
After Katheze was able to control his magic, he immediately monitored the lives of his citizens directly, and everything was completely different from what he had imagined before.
This region was indeed fertile, rich in extraordinary natural resources. However, many destructive things were happening in this region, caused by corrupt, irresponsible people who only cared about themselves.
Crimes such as rape, robbery, slavery, human trafficking, illegal goods, illegal businesses, and abuse of power by nobles and others were indeed happening in this region.
And with his magic, Katheze witnessed everything firsthand.
"Yeah, if I want Fernmels to be better, then I have to solve the problems in this region at their root."
Katheze finally sat back down and closed his eyes.
He recalled, through his magic, seeing all the truly heinous crimes that occurred in this region. He witnessed everything firsthand, and it completely changed him and his perspective on being a good leader.
Previously, he thought he could create a good, clean system of government to truly solve all the problems in this region and make everyone live comfortably.
But as it turned out, that didn't really solve the problem.
There were still people immune to the law, especially the nobles; there were still people who could escape the system; and there were still many who continued to do evil even after being punished.
Because of this, he thought of another way to make this region better. Even though his method was more brutal, more violent, and more painful, he was confident that this would solve the problem.
"Yeah, I've made up my mind. I will kill the people who are destroying this region, whether they are nobles, people from outside this region, or people from within this region. All those who destroy and cause my people to suffer must receive their just punishment, which is death."
Katheze stared at the beautiful garden in front of him, and for a moment, he was silent, reflecting on his recent words.
He knew that killing was a great sin. But he also knew that being a corrupt leader and remaining silent while his people's lives were destroyed was a great sin.
So he just had to choose which great sin he would bear. Was it a greater sin to kill, or was it a greater sin to be a bad leader?
"Huh... yeah, I will kill the people who destroy and pollute Fernmels. I will bear the sin, I will bear the sin of all the killings I commit." He smiled bitterly. "At least with this, I can see Fernmels become a better place so that my people can live comfortably."
Sometimes, there were problems in this world that could not be resolved amicably. There were times when a problem could only be solved by killing its source.
Out there, there were many people who only thought of themselves and did not care about others when they committed brutal acts. So there was no punishment more fitting for such people than death.
Katheze sighed again after truly convincing himself and making up his mind. His gaze looked very serious, his hands were clenched, and his heart felt strong. He was ready to bear all this burden.
"Yeah. I will bear all the sins. I'd rather die with the sin of murder than die as a leader who cannot bring prosperity to my people."
After that, he closed his eyes, raised his right hand, and focused on his magical powers. Slowly, his hand glowed, and maroon-colored lights began to gather and merge to form a very realistic-looking cat.
This was his illusion magic in the form of a cat. Although he couldn't attack with this magic, at least he could share his hearing, sight, and sense of smell with it. And by controlling this magic, he could see how the people in his territory were living firsthand.
"All right, let's continue with the plan."
Katheze opened his notebook, where four names were written.
He knew very well that with his illusion magic, he would not be able to achieve his goal of killing the people who were destroying this area. Therefore, he needed powerful people who could use magic to carry out the killings for him.
Fortunately, he had found those people. However, he didn't know whether they would be compatible with him or not, whether they would reject him or not, or whether they would respect him or not.
He didn't know that, but he knew that they were talented and had the potential to help him achieve his goals. So, he would try his best to recruit them to his team.
"Zhatten, Vinessa, Carl, Roxer. I really have high hopes for you because I know that you also dislike seeing injustice in this region."
Katheze stared intently at his notebook, then reaffirmed his determination. He had been monitoring the movements of these four people and already had some information about them.
First, Zhatten. He seemed like a ninja who came from outside the kingdom, since his clothes and way of speaking were completely different. He was cold, aloof, and mysterious. As for his powers, he seemed to have crow magic and high fighting skills.
Second, Vinessa. She was a beautiful flower seller who came from the kingdom. She was friendly, cheerful, and pleasant, especially when she was serving her customers. Her magic seemed to be flower magic, as she could quickly turn seeds into flowers.
Third, Carl. He was a nobleman with a unique attitude, often disguising himself as a magician to entertain people in remote areas. It was even said that he often distributed his money to remote areas. As for his magic, it seemed that he had card magic.
And finally, Roxer. He seemed to be a street fighter with a truly unkempt appearance. He was always moving from one place to another so he could keep participating in street fights. His magic was blood magic, a rare and powerful form.
Katheze closed his notebook.
Yeah, at least that was the information he had gathered after spying on Zhatten, Vinessa, Carl, and Roxer continuously. And with this, he was completely convinced to recruit them into his team.
"Huff..." Katheze sighed deeply for the umpteenth time. "Zhatten, Vinessa, Carl, Roxer. I hope you can join me to make Fernmels even better."
After that, he immediately directed his illusion cat to walk out of the backyard and towards the outside, passing through the boundary wall.
His illusory cat was magic that could not be touched or touch anything, so it could move freely anywhere. And using this magic, he would monitor Zhatten, Vinessa, Carl, and Roxer one last time before he officially recruited them.
"Alright, let's see what they're doing."