The Mage Farmer: Guardians of the World

"What nonsense are you talking about, you brat!"

A deep, hoarse rebuke cut through the whispers in the academy.

In his seat, the venerable Principal Philip spoke for the first time. Under the gaze of everyone present, he put away his usual affable demeanor, his eyes widening with anger, as if he wanted to take back the graduation certificate from the person on stage.

Oh, right—today was graduation day at Hel Magic Academy, and another batch of magicians had earned their wizard degrees after five years of effort.

Today was not only graduation day but also the academy’s centennial celebration. Most importantly, one of this year’s graduates had earned the title of Grand Wizard.

It was well known that some wizards spent their entire lives trembling in fear and still might not qualify for the title of Grand Wizard. Even Philip himself only barely managed to attain the title due to his high standing and reputation.

Yet that young man, at just twenty years old, effortlessly passed the rigorous and harsh evaluations of the six elders.

This was tremendous news for Hel Magic Academy and an unparalleled honor for Principal Philip.

For this graduation ceremony, he specially invited his rival—the principal of Scanna Magic Academy, Mori Taylor—to suppress the other side's arrogance.

Your Scanna Academy may be stronger than our Hel Academy, and may have noble support, but so what?

Which of your students has achieved the title of Grand Mage immediately after graduation?

At first, Mori remained silent. Coincidentally, Philip had arranged for him to sit in the most prominent seat in the VIP section. To deal with the reporters coming and going, he had no choice but to smile and lavishly praise the graduate's bright future.

However, it turned out that the one who ended up looking foolish was the cheerful principal.

He used a levitation spell to brew himself a cup of tea. Watching the show was far more interesting than the boring graduation ceremony.

The main character on stage showed no reaction to the principal's scolding, his cold, sharp features as impassive as ever. In everyone's impression, Arthur Adams was like a glacier—cold, pure, and mysterious.

He focused solely on completing his studies, showing no interest in anything else.

It was this man who had achieved the status that all wizards dreamed of—Grand Wizard.

"I’m sorry, Headmaster, perhaps I didn’t express myself clearly," he said, removing his Grand Wizard’s hat. His sapphire-blue eyes were clear yet bottomless. "I’m sorry, but I have a piece of land at home that I need to inherit."

He bowed deeply, expressing his gratitude to the academy, then glanced at the griffin lingering nearby. Arthur smoothed its feathers, and under the gaze of the crowd, he made an unconventional exit.

The broadcast reporters were speechless; this was headline news for them.

A newly graduated wizard had earned the title of Grand Wizard—that was the headline not long ago.

That Grand Wizard had refused the king's invitation to be an advisor, refused the headmaster's offer to inherit the position, refused the alchemist's teachings...

And his purpose was just for a piece of land?

This would be today's headline!

Lanton Town was located on the outskirts of the kingdom, a hidden paradise.

This town was no different from any other town in the kingdom. If one were to force a distinction, the mayor would mention the forest behind Lanton Town.

It was said that the forest led to the realm ruled by elves. Every year, some reckless adventurers came to explore it, and in the end, they were all kindly escorted out of the forest by the loggers.

Arthur shed his wizard's robes, waved his staff, and uttered a transformation spell. The griffin flapped its wings, and its mighty lion's paws transformed into sleek, gleaming horse hooves. The griffin, amazed by its new equine form, let out a mighty roar and galloped toward the stream.

It was pleased with the form Arthur had conjured for it—a light brown coat and flowing white mane. It was captivated by its reflection in the stream, completely ignoring the girl's astonishment across the water.

The girl struggled to lift the bucket, stumbling backward. Her father had warned her that wild horses were unpredictable and should be avoided at all costs.

The horse noticed her, but it did not seem to have any ill intent.

Its hooves were trimmed, and its mane was flowing and smooth. It looked like a noble horse that had been trained.

She remembered a baron who had once passed through the town. The horse the baron rode was similar to this one—no, it was even more beautiful than this one.

"Horse, are you lost?"

A voice inside her told her that the horse had no ill intent.

The afternoon sun filtered through the tree shadows, casting slanted rays, and the gentle flow of water sounded light and melodious. To her, everything seemed as beautiful as a fairy tale.

"Sorry, little one, this is my horse. Thank you for finding him."

Arthur doffed his hat in greeting.

The girl looked down at her relatively neat dress and felt a bit embarrassed. She mimicked the manners of the townspeople and curtsied in return.

"May I ask," Arthur pointed down the hill, "is that Lanton Town ahead?"

"Yes, sir."

Every year, a few adventurers would flock to Lanton Town, and occasionally some scholars would go into the forest for research.

The girl looked at Arthur. His elegant attire was a style she had never seen before, with two sapphires sparkling on the cuffs of his sleeves. This was different from the dust-covered adventurers.

"Are you a nobleman from the city?"

"No, young lady. I am… I will be a farmer. Would you like to ride the horse?"

Arthur led the horse across the stream. The girl remained wary of him, but when she reached out to touch the horse, all her caution vanished, replaced by joy, and a smile bloomed on her face.

"Thank you, kind sir, but I still have water to deliver. From here, you can enter the town after walking down the mountain for a while."

"It’s okay, consider it a thank-you for guiding me," Arthur pulled out his wand and waved it gently, "Go, Griffin, take this kind young lady home!"

The young woman found herself slowly floating, then landing steadily on the horse's back. She clung tightly to the horse's neck, her excitement evident. "You're a wizard!"

Griffin began to run toward the town, the laughter of children echoing through the valley. Arthur put away his wand and lifted the wooden barrel with one hand. He looked down at the town below, his expression solemn.

"Eileen! Eileen! Where did you get that big horse? Can we ride it?"

Several children outside the town were playing their favorite game—the adventurer's quest—but they were frustrated by the lack of horses.

Their parents refused to provide props for their game. Eileen's arrival gave them new hope, and the children swore it was the most beautiful horse they had ever seen.

"It belongs to a wizard..."

Griffin didn't give her time to chat. It ran along the cobblestone streets of the town, dodging the crowd, and finally safely delivered Eileen home.

"Thank you, Griffin, and thank you to that wizard."

Outside the wooden fence, the wooden barrel had already appeared. Eileen believed this was the wizard's magical power.

"Dad, I'm back!"

She lifted the wooden barrel and ran inside. She couldn't wait to share today's events with her family. When she led her father outside to investigate, Griffin had already vanished.

"Alright, Eileen, we all know you’re a child with a vivid imagination. Dad also knows you don’t like going up the mountain to fetch water. Don’t worry; once our family’s well is dug, Dad won’t bother you anymore…"

"But Dad, I didn’t lie."

"Alright, alright, our Eileen didn’t lie…"

The once peaceful town grew noisy. People of all ages were drawn to Arthur, and even the mayor of Lanton noticed the commotion.

A well-dressed, handsome young man had arrived in their town.

It was odd, he thought, looking at his desk log, which made no mention of any important visitors.

"Oh, dear young man, is there anything I can do for you? I am the mayor here, Buck Edward."

The mayor greeted him warmly. This young man was of noble bearing; perhaps he was a nobleman on a journey of study.

"Hello, Mr. Edward. I’m the newcomer. Here’s my property deed. The wasteland in front of the Lanton Forest—I plan to reclaim it."

Buck looked troubled. In his eyes, this young man was an ignorant child, pampered by his wealthy parents!

A young nobleman seeking to experience life was not suited to stay in their town. Buck had already prepared countless reasons to dissuade the young man.

"Young man, your property deed is in order, and our town welcomes new members. However," Buck feigned deep thought, "that land is barren. We’ve tried, but it yields no crops. The plants there always wither for no apparent reason…"

"I’m aware of that, but rest assured, I’m here to solve this problem. By the way, my name is Arthur Adams, and I’m honored to join Lanton Town," he said, looking at the crowd gathered around him. "Are there any carpenters or stonemasons here? I need some help with construction, and I’m willing to pay double the usual wage."

People volunteered to sign up. In this semi-isolated town, everyone had some basic carpentry and stonemasonry skills, and double pay was a good deal.

Mayor Buck didn't know how to stop them.

Well, if someone wanted to do useless work, he couldn't stop them.

He shook his head and took Arthur to register.

"Name."

"Arthur Adams."

"Age."

"Twenty."

"Occupation and place of origin."

"Farmer, Kingdom of Bannari."

Buck truly doubted the term "farmer." He had been mayor for over twenty years and had never seen such a wealthy farmer.

"Mr. Adams, welcome to Lanton Town."

"Thank you, Mayor, but I’m still used to people calling me Arthur."

Arthur registered his identity in the government office, while Griffin was surrounded by curious children outside the door.

"Arthur Adams, Arthur Adams…"

Buck took off his sheepskin cloak, sat down on a chair, and muttered to himself.

He felt like he had seen that name somewhere before. His gaze drifted to an old newspaper from a few days ago, whose headline read "Arthur Adams."

The headline of that newspaper was "The Youngest Great Mage in History—Arthur Adams."

"Are you that Arthur Adams? The great wizard?!"

Just a moment ago, Buck had been thinking about how to get the young nobleman out of town, but now he was wondering how to keep the great wizard here.

In a dusty corner, Buck found the comprehensive agricultural manual.

The book was slightly yellowed, with dust hidden between the pages. He shook the book in the sunlight, and the dust drifted down with the afterglow from outside the window, revealing what had been buried.

"Mr. Arthur, this is an agricultural book written by a farmer from our town," Buck cleaned the book's cover, "I'm handing it over to you now, hoping it can be of some help."

It was a barren land, where the weeds that grew were not eaten by cattle or sheep.

Out of politeness, Arthur took the farming book with both hands. Before leaving, he specifically asked Mayor Buck to treat him as an ordinary farmer, and from then on, he would make a living this way.

"Alright, Mr. Arthur, please rest assured."

Buck swore solemnly. He didn't care why Arthur had come to his town or why he had given up his life as a wizard to become a farmer. The only thing he cared about was what Arthur c