Almark, Vol. 1 (novel)

As war in the North comes to an end, Almark, the son of mercenaries, finds himself at a crossroads. When he was a child, a foreigner told him that he had the potential to wield magic. Now he sets out to fulfill his father's wish to become a sorcerer in the peaceful southlands. After a long journey to the institute of magic, he quickly discovers that life there is completely different from anything he's ever seen before. He also learns that the residents of the south view the war-like northerners as savage barbarians, a divide that may only be matched by the one between the nobility and commoners. While hiding his mercenary lineage and with some help from his friends, Almark takes first steps toward becoming a true sorcerer!