The Potioncraft Prodigy

The Earl fell into deep thought, his expression even more somber. At this moment, Freyr emerged from the room, quietly looking at the Earl.

Edward and his son stared at each other for a moment. The Earl sighed without speaking, but his face was full of disappointment.

Jalen's words echoed in his ears, "…In decades, I have never encountered someone like your son…"

Yes, someone like what? An idiot? A fool? An incompetent?

The Earl internally sighed in despair.

Due to Jalen's pride, his unfinished sentence had caused a significant misunderstanding for the Earl.

What Wizard Jalen meant to say was: someone with excellent magical talent yet no sense of natural magical elements, a contradictory combination.

Thus, the Earl concluded: "It seems he truly is an idiot."

It must be said that both Scholar Rosiate and Wizard Jalen's vague words had contributed to the Earl's erroneous conclusion.

Freyr, though lacking the talent to become a Wizard, was certainly not an idiot. On the contrary, his innate mental strength made him smarter than most. This mental edge gave him greater energy and better memory.

Such a highly gifted child was now unfairly labeled as a "dunce."

The noble Earl's heir had first been deemed unfit for martial training by an excellent warrior, then driven away a learned scholar, and finally disappointed a renowned Wizard.

All this combined made the nobles of the entire capital even more interested in the Russell family's little fool.

Some nobles, while educating their children, couldn't help but say, "Even if you're stupid, you can't be worse than the Russell family's little fool!"

And so, Freyr became a negative example.

What path lay ahead for this young master? This question puzzled every member of the Russell family… except for Freyr himself.

Earl Edward's disappointment in Freyr grew exponentially, like a snowball rolling downhill. Instead of trying to reform his untalented son, the earl channeled his efforts into the beautiful countess. Since his eldest son showed no promise of inheriting the family estate, he needed to quickly produce a new heir.

The earl's efforts bore fruit swiftly. By the next winter, Earl Edward welcomed his beloved younger son into the world. The entire household was immersed in the joy of the new arrival, except for Freyr, who secluded himself in his room, engrossed in the precious books on Potioncraft he had painstakingly gathered.

Fortunately, Wizard Jalen's final "suggestion" had some effect. With the thought of "how could it get any worse," the earl allowed his inept son to study Potioncraft. Thus, Freyr embarked on the path of potion making.

Months passed without the earl visiting his disappointing son. Even the countess, preoccupied with the newborn, rarely found time to visit Freyr. On the second day after his brother's birth, Freyr was brought to his father's room by a servant to witness the new family member's arrival. He felt the growing reality of his marginalization. The earl only had eyes for the healthy newborn, offering Freyr a few perfunctory words. Although the countess felt some reluctance, the baby's cries soon distracted her.

Freyr silently left the room, behind him the sounds of his father's laughter and his brother's cries. Although he reminded himself that these were not his real parents, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. He constantly told himself that he didn't belong in this world and that these parents were not his real parents. Thinking of how the countess had once prayed for him before a deity, Freyr felt a mix of emotions. Shaking his head, he decided to cast away all distractions and focus on his studies.

Despite his longing for his past world, Freyr was fascinated by the magic of this one. Even though Wizard Jalen had declared he would never become a wizard, a part of him still held out hope that hard work might change that.

In the earl's extensive library, Freyr found clues about magic. Although he admitted he had no talent for it, Wizard Jalen's mention of Potioncraft intrigued him. After some investigation, Freyr learned that Potioners occupied an awkward position in this world. Although officially classified as a type of wizard, they were far from enjoying the same status and were considered marginal figures in the magical community.

Potioncraft involved the study and creation of magical potions. To Freyr, a Potioner seemed more like a poison-making specialist rather than a traditional healer. In fact, he did not know that another common term for Potioners was "Poison-Master."

Days turned into months as Freyr immersed himself in the study of Potioncraft. Although his knowledge remained theoretical, as he could memorize ingredients and recipes flawlessly, the rare and exotic materials required for actual potion-making were out of his reach, even in a household as wealthy as the Russell family's. Only true wizards had access to such resources, so Potioners typically served as assistants to wizards.

Six years passed. His brother William grew up healthy and lively, starting sword training with the chief guard Fletcher at six years old. In contrast to Freyr, William was the epitome of a Russell family heir, embodying everything the earl hoped for. The earl focused all his attention on William, often forgetting his firstborn existed for months at a time.

Only the countess occasionally visited Freyr in secret, sometimes even at night, barefoot and in her nightgown, to comfort her son and sing him to sleep. During these moments, Freyr's heart softened. Sometimes he pretended to sleep to avoid his mother's sorrowful love, often drifting off to her tears and sighs.

Finally, when Freyr turned thirteen and William seven, the earl made a decisive move. He would personally teach William the family's martial skills and had even arranged a future marriage for William with the nine-year-old granddaughter of the current Minister of Finance, originally intended to be Freyr's fiancée. This cemented William's position as the heir.