BXBX NOVEL Chapter 20: The Wind Dancer
"Well, I can certainly say that you\'re not the first," Professor Ophelia smirked. "There was once a Great Wizard… or should I say Half-Wizard that owned a White Raven in the past."
Ethan became curious after the Professor mentioned that the first one to have a White Raven was a Half-Wizard.
"Oh? Who is that person?" Ethan asked.
"Fortis Dud," Professor Ophelia replied in a heartbeat. "One of the Founders of Brynhildr Academy."
The young man\'s eyes widened in shock after hearing the Professor\'s reply. He didn\'t expect that the Legendary Magician, rather Dud, was also the first person who had a White Raven as his guide.
"Don\'t gawk there, silly boy," Professor Ophelia flicked Ethan\'s forehead with her fingers, making the latter yelp in pain. "We\'re here. Now, just pick a broomstick, and we can get your wand."
Ethan rubbed his forehead as he followed the Professor inside the shop.
The first thing he saw were several broomsticks lined up on shelves, which went all the way up to the ceiling and to the back of the shop. Just as he was about to grab a random one from one of the shelves, the clerk of the shop greeted them with a smile.
"Welcome to Brooms For All Seasons!" a lady who seemed to be in her early thirties greeted Professor Ophelia and Ethan with a smile. "What kind of broom are you looking for? We have brooms for long-distance flight, brooms for kids that have safety mechanisms installed, Brooms for leisure flying, and all-purpose brooms that fly, and can be used for cleaning as well."
"Give me an all-purpose broom please," Ethan replied.
"Certainly." The Clerk took a broom from the shelf and presented it to Ethan. "This is called Rudeus 2000. It can fly up to 100kph, and is very efficient in sweeping trash… including people."
The Clerk gave Ethan a playful wink, which made the young man chuckle.
"Um, you said that this can fly right?" Ethan asked. "How do brooms fly?"
"Oh. A first timer." The Clerk nodded in understanding. "Very well. This is also a perfect opportunity to test the product and see if it\'s working."
The Clerk placed the broom on top of a table before walking away from it.
"You see, all brooms are unique and they require a certain password to activate their flight mechanism," the Clerk explained. "Of course, in order to activate it, the Wizard\'s magic power is required. Right now, the default password for this model is, Cumulus!"
As soon as the Clerk said the password, the broom rose up from the table and flew towards her. It stopped a meter away from her and lowered itself a meter above the ground to allow the Clerk to sit on top of it.
The Clerk, however, didn\'t sit and simply picked it up and placed it back on top of the table.
"Now, you try." The Clerk made a gesture for Ethan to call for the broom using the password that she had used earlier.
"Cumulus!" Ethan said as he looked expectantly at the broom on top of the table.
A second passed…
Five seconds passed…
Ten seconds passed…
Nothing happened.
"Cumulus!" the Clerk stated and immediately, the broom flew in her direction.
Professor Ophelia, who was standing beside Ethan sighed. She had already expected something like this to happen, so she decided to tell the confused looking Clerk about Ethan\'s difficulties.
"He is a Dud," Professor Ophelia stated. "His Magic Power is not the best, even among his peers."
"Ah…" The Clerk nodded in understanding before giving the handsome boy a pitiful gaze. "I\'m sorry, but only those that can wield magic can ride broomsticks."
Ethan sighed in his heart because he thought that he would be able to fly in the sky with a broomstick like in the Fairy tale that he had read in the past. However, after finding out that he couldn\'t ride it because of his inability to use magic, he was truly disappointed.
Seeing Ethan\'s disappointed look, Professor Ophelia decided to leave the shop with him. But, before he could do that, the door behind them opened and an old man wearing glasses entered with an excited look on his face.
"I did it, Anna!" the old man said in excitement. "I finally did it! Behold, the Wind Dancer!"
The old man opened the wooden box in his hand that was nearly two meters long. Inside it, a broom made from an unknown type of wood could be seen. The handle had a dark-brown shade, while the bristles of the broom were pure black.
Unlike the Rudeus 2000, the handle of the Wind Dancer was thicker, and looked like it was a weapon that can be used to whack people until their faces turn black and blue.
"Have you really finished it, Mr. Carwell?" the Clerk, Anna, asked. "Does it even fly?"
"Of course it can fly!" Mr. Carwell replied. "Heck, even a Dud can fly in this thing! It runs on Mana Cores, the first of its kind! Although buying Mana Cores to maintain its flying mechanism might get costly in the long run, it is still an all-purpose-broomstick that can be used even if you don\'t have magic! I\'ve gone to great lengths in order to make this broomsti–"
"How much?"
Professor Ophelia, who was listening at the side, approached the excited old man, and interrupted his explanation.
"Excuse me?" Mr. Carwell asked back. "This is the first of its kind. I\'ve only tested it a few times, so I can\'t sell it to anyone unless I\'m sure that it is safe to use."
"Pardon my rudeness," Professor Ophelia gave the old man an apologetic look before introducing herself. "My name is Ophelia Quinn, and I am a Professor in Brynhildr Academy. This boy here is Ethan Gremory. We have come here today to purchase a broom. However, he is unable to make it fly because he is a Dud."
The countenance of the old man immediately changed as he looked at the young man that was looking at the broomstick on the table.
"A Dud you say?" Mr. Carwell took out his wand and lightly tapped Ethan\'s chest with it.
A moment later, he looked at the tip of his wand as if making sure of something.
"Are you sure he is a Dud and not an Ordinarius?" Mr. Carwell frowned. "I don\'t sense any magical power coming from him."
"He is a Dud," Professor Ophelia insisted. "The Appraisal Stone in the Academy proved it."
Mr. Carwell gave Ethan an appraising look. "I see…"
Professor Ophelia who had already broken the ice decided to press on while the iron was still hot and made her voice heard.
"You said earlier that even Duds can use this broom, right?" Professor Ophelia. "If that\'s the case, how about you let him buy it? If he can really make it fly then it means that what you declared earlier is true."
Mr. Carwell broke out from his daze after hearing Professor Ophelia\'s words. For a brief moment, he considered it, but half a minute later he shook his head firmly.
"Like I said, this product hasn\'t been fully tested yet," Mr. Carwell explained. "I cannot in good conscience sell a product that hasn\'t passed my safety regulations. It\'s not about my reputation that is at stake here, but the life of a teenage boy. I will not be able to sleep peacefully at night knowing that an accident might occur anytime, while he is using my creation."
Mr. Carwell\'s voice was firm, making Professor Ophelia nod her head in defeat. Just as she was about to drag Ethan out of the shop, so the boy wouldn\'t get disappointed any further, the old man said something that made her stop in her tracks.
"While I may not be able to sell it now, that doesn\'t mean that I can\'t sell it in the future," Mr. Carwell stated. "After I finish testing it for safety, I will contact you, Professor Ophelia."
The old man\'s gaze softened as he shifted his attention to Ethan.
"The reason why I made the Wind Dancer is to allow those who have given up on flying in the sky, because they possess no magical powers, to once again gain hope," Mr. Carwell said softly. "The Wind Dancer is the first of its kind, so its success will pave the way for these dreams to become a reality."
The old man then walked towards Ethan and patted his shoulder.
"Give me a month at the earliest, and two at the longest," Mr. Carwell declared. "I will fine tune this broomstick, and send it to you, Ethan. I look forward to seeing you soar in the sky, and become the beacon for those who have given up their hope of ever flying in the sky."
The old man\'s words were filled with determination, which carried a promise.
His passionate words touch Ethan\'s heart, and he thanked Mr. Carwell for giving him the opportunity to test his newest creation.
After rekindling his hope, the handsome young man left the Brooms For All Seasons with a spring in his step.
Now that the issue with the broomstick was over, there was only one thing left to do and that was to buy a wand, which was something that every Wizard and Witch must possess.