The Greatest Sinner

Evan and Zak were talking to each other while sipping cocktails and paying absolutely no attention to the two-meter sword stuck in the wall.

"Commander Zak, what did you mean when you said I `m maybe like you?" This phrase didn`t make sense to Evan, for he did not understand why physical training was necessary for a magician.

To him, physical training was only necessary to keep the body fit. After all, in his past world, physical strength was practically unappreciated.

One thing Evan kept forgetting, that he had entered a completely different and new world, with its own rules and priorities.

"Ah, I`m sorry I keep forgetting what hole you're from." For Zak, Evan's whole life had been spent in the very small village, where, by coincidence, he had actually taken him from.

"Well ,I think it's time for the first lecture on magic, so listen carefully." Zak took a sip and continued.

"There are three basic types of magic: Amplification Magic, Creation Magic and Summoning Magic. People, who use one or the other type of magic, are called respectively: Amplifiers, Creators, and Summoners. Simply put, there are three Classes of Magicians."

This information threw Evan into a stupor. It was a real break of stereotypes for him. There were only two types of magicians in his past world: the Light and the Dark ones, and that was it. The entire world was built on the confrontation of these two forces and all the wars took place because of it.

"And what`s the difference?" Evan couldn't help but ask. He was just desperate to know. Magic and its study had always interested him.

"One second."

Zak took a deep breath and shouted very loudly: "Margaret!"

Evan didn't know who the commander was calling for, but it seems this girl was an important figure in his estate.

After a while, Evan saw an enchanting girl heading toward them. She was walking slowly in their direction with her arms folded around her waist.

Her hair was red and she had a bob hairstyle that suited her perfectly. The wind blew her hair, and her emerald eyes enchanted the heart of any man at first sight.

She was dressed in a black maid's suit. It seemed to Evan, though, that it was too revealing in all her squeamish places.

"Mr. Zak, why are you yelling so loudly? I`ve reminded you for many times that I have a very sensitive hearing."

Her voice was calm and her face completely unemotional. She seemed to be used to these situations a long time ago.

"Get my gear ready in the underground hall and send someone to get us a drink."

"I see. And how should I treat this man?"

Zak looked at Evan and thought for a while. After all, if Evan was going to stay here for as long as two months, the servants had to address him somehow.

Zak had accepted the decision, believing that it was a right one then, replied, "Consider him my successor."

Evan was surprised, and Margaret covered her mouth with her hand and said reproachfully: "Mr. Zak, didn't you always say you would marry me? And it turns out you`ve got such a grown-up son?"

Zak waved his hands and immediately began to make excuses: "No, no, no, I don't have any children and my heart belongs to you. It's just a special situation with him."

Margaret stared at Zak with eyes as cold as ice. Then he shifted his gaze to Evan and back to Zak, and so several times in a row.

"All right, I believe you. I'll let my slackers know and get everything ready." After these words, Margaret went away.

"I don`t like to repeat twice, but Commander, you do have excellent taste. She`s a real iron lady."

Evan was stunned by the scene he had just seen. Realizing that there was a special relationship between these two, despite the difference in status. So things quickly fell into place.

"Right you are. Well, let`s back to our business. Here`s the right aperitif for that."

Not two minutes after Margaret had left, one of the maids approached them. She was carrying a large bottle of some strong drink.

The girl poured the liquor and hurried away.

<Hmm, so Margaret controls all the servants on this estate.> Evan drew certain conclusions about Zak's woman.

"Well, what is the difference between the types of magic?"

Realizing that he had already kept Evan waiting too long, Zak became more serious and put the alcohol aside.

"Creators use magic directly, and only in free form. For example - the zero-level spell "Fireball". It creates in the magician's hand a small, round blob of fire that carries destructive power. Spells of this type can only be used by Creators, I hope that's clear."

Evan nodded satisfactorily, then Zak went on to the next type: "Summoners use magic to summon various creatures to their aid. If don't go too deep, it's simple."

Evan listened to him carefully, analyzing his every word. All this was new to him. In his past world, the power of the magicians resembled only slightly the way the Creators used magic.

"And the last type of the three, these are the Amplifiers, I`m the one of them. I think you remember my battle against Ermis. He was a Creator and attacked me with ice crystals, while my fire was only on my sword and armor."

"You mean that even though I saw you covered in flames then, and your sword was blazing brightly, you can't use the same "Fireball"?"

It seemed strange to Evan, why a man, who used the fire can`t make a ball of fire.

"Yes, you could say that. Creators have their limitations, they can't enhance themselves, their equipment, or their armor through magic. But that's not really correct."

The next moment, Zak picked up a knife from the table.

"Look, as an Amplifier, I can shroud this simple knife in flame and turn it into a deadly weapon. In fact, the Creator can do the same thing, but in his execution the effect will be much weaker. Like if I tried to create a fireball. I can do it, but it just doesn't make sense."

Whoosh.

Suddenly, the knife went up in flames, and the flames seemed to come straight from inside it. The scene reminded Evan the moment in the battle with Ermis, when Zak`s sword had burned brightly.

"I think I get it. Different approach and, therefore, different effect. Amplifiers` magic goes right inside a certain thing, which is why it creates such a powerful effect."

After Evan's words, the knife just fell out of Zak's hands and he hesitantly asked: "Boy, did you draw all these conclusions just because of my example and because of my explanation?"

Evan only nodded affirmatively in response.

"Yeah, you just catch it on the fly. Well, I think that's enough for the first lesson. You should think about what you'll do if you develop a talent for one type of magic or another."

"But, Commander Zak, you still haven't told me what it means to be like you?"

"It's simple. Because of the specific nature of Amplifiers, in addition to magical power, physical strength is extremely important to them as well. That's why I train every day." The answer was simple and straightforward, without any tricks.

Zak thought their short lecture was about to end. So he drank his drink and was about to leave.

But Evan suddenly stopped him, with a very important question. The young man looked at the commander with a calm look and slowly said: "Which of all the types is the strongest?"

Strength was a fundamental thing in his past world. In the new one as he understood things were the same and so he wanted to know which was the best direction he should develop to.

Zak thought for a while, then grinned and just confused all of Evan's thoughts with one sentence: "It's obvious right away that you're just a brat. Everything depends on the situation. Life isn't so simple, and it`s impossible to say at once what's the strongest and best thing. Let's consider the situation...."