314 – The Fishing Is Good. (3)
“30 years?” the mage asked, slightly surprised by Claude’s words.
“Yes, you need at least that long to become the exclusive mage of a territory. It’s not that long, really. There are some who’ve been here over 200 years… I mean, don’t other territories have similar expectations? If you can’t do even that much, you’re not really exclusive.”
“Th-that’s true,” the mage nodded absentmindedly, though in reality, the duration can vary greatly depending on the mage’s skills and research purposes.
Some stay for just a few years, while others sign long-term contracts. It really depends on the person.
But since Claude was being so pushy, the mage had no choice but to relent.
“Hmm…”
The mage pondered for a moment. At this age, he was already middle-aged. Thirty years would mean settling down here for good.
But there wasn’t much work, he could use the Mana Convergence Circle, and he could even learn from a 6th Circle Mage. He didn’t want to give up such a great opportunity.
The only concern was that while Penris was currently thriving in the North, he might have fallen out with the Duke Faction.
Mages usually aren’t too in touch with rumors, but as a wandering mage, he did know a bit about those whispers.
Seeing the mage deep in thought, Claude called out to Vanessa.
“Did you call for me, Chief Officer?”
“Y-Yeah, Vanessa. This person wants to meet you. Seems like he’s got a lot of questions.”
The mage was struck with shock upon seeing Vanessa.
“This girl is a 6th Circle Mage?!”
She was way too young. He’d never heard of a 6th Circle Mage being this young in the kingdom.
And what was with her appearance? Her hair was a mess, and it was hard to tell when she last bathed. She seemed like someone who just locked themselves in a study all day.
Staring at her innocent face as she blinked, the mage asked, “So, um, you really have reached the 6th Circle?”
“Y-Yes… I still have a lot to learn, though…”
As he watched Vanessa twist her body awkwardly with a shy face, the mage frowned.
There was hardly any dignity befitting a 6th Circle Mage. A mage confident in their power wouldn’t display such a demeanor.
The higher a mage’s level, the more arrogance they typically possess.
“Was it just a rumor? Is she trying to scam me?”
He wanted to ask her to show a 6th Circle spell, but he didn’t dare.
Mages often struggle with mental health. She looked naive now, but who knows when she might snap?
It’d be troublesome if she suddenly went berserk for daring to test her.
So, he cautiously asked again, “I… I’m currently studying and there’s something I don’t understand. Could you teach me a bit?”
“Ah, feel free to ask anything. I’ll share what I know,” she replied kindly.
Encouraged by her words, the mage pulled out a book.
“I’m researching electrical resistance, but I’m stuck on a part.”
As the mage pointed to a section in the book, Vanessa glanced and then clapped her hands.
“Oh, this is the part you’re stuck on! So, the principle here is that it’s all about the clash of magic power, and depending on that flow, unavoidable resistance is created. So when magic powers clash, it hinders the flow of electricity, which leads to a loss of thermal energy…”
“O-oooh!”
As Vanessa continued to explain, the mage’s expression filled with joy.
Her explanation was so detailed that the blocks in his understanding were clearing up.
“Sh-she’s for real! She really is a 6th Circle Mage! Even if she’s lying about the 6th Circle, she has to be at least 5th Circle!”
Her understanding of magic surpassed his by a long shot. In his entire life, he had never encountered a mage who could explain things this well.
The understanding of magic was on a level incomparable to his own. He had never seen a mage explain things so well in his entire life.
Even his own master wasn’t up to this standard. It felt like reading a manual that disassembled magic and reassembled it piece by piece.
‘I can’t believe there are people who teach this easily! This is nothing like other mages!’
No matter how talented a 6th Circle Mage might be, it meant nothing if they couldn’t teach him properly.
Most mages are stingy with passing down their realizations because they hoard their knowledge. You have to struggle as an apprentice and listen well to even get a token piece of wisdom.
Besides, what each mage learns is different. Often, it mixes abstract concepts with loose knowledge.
Some even twist their teachings on purpose just to make their apprentices suffer. It’s no exaggeration to say that no one explains things in such a systematic and easy manner.
As Vanessa’s explanation extended beyond an hour, Claude started to doze off, and the mage could hardly contain his excitement.
“Ah, I see! Now I understand! That’s how it works!”
“Yes, yes. Next, the flow of magic has to change….”
The two mages were so engaged that their conversation felt like a debate, with only Claude, who was dozing off, left out of the excitement.
After getting through a fair amount of explanation, the mage bowed his head with an almost tearful expression.
“Thank you! Thank you so much! I finally understand what I couldn’t grasp for so long!”
“I’m glad to hear that! Do you have any more questions?”
At Vanessa’s words, the mage excitedly pulled out a book from his robe.
Just as he was about to open it and ask another question, Claude, waking up and wiping his spit, grabbed the mage’s arm.
“Hey, this guy is shameless… No, that’s enough for today.”
At Claude’s words, the mage looked like his world had crumbled. He had an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
“W-Why? If I could just ask one more thing…”
“Oh no, you can’t do that. There are others waiting too; how long are you going to keep our mage here? This is quite troubling.”
“Contract! I will contract!”
“Oh, really?”
“If I sign a contract, I can really keep learning from him, right?”
“Of course. We work together every day… I mean, we research together, so if you have questions, you can ask. You’ll probably get to use more magic than you can handle.”
Claude was not lying. In this territory, they would use up in a year what others would take a lifetime to master.
The mage quickly stamped the contract.
He realized there was no way to surpass his own talents. It seemed better to receive the teachings here and live in comfort.
“Well then, I look forward to working with you.”
“Oh, absolutely. Now, follow the servants, and they’ll assign you a room in the research facility.”
As the mage stepped back, Claude arrogantly leaned back in his chair and muttered.
“Ugh, I’m so tired. Why couldn’t he just sign the contract quickly without acting all high and mighty?”
“…….”
Vanessa couldn’t say a word seeing Claude act that way. It felt like more mages were becoming slaves simply because of her.
Regardless, all the mages who came to the territory ended up convinced by Claude and signed contracts. The mages who caught a glimpse of Vanessa’s knowledge begged even more, making the contracts easy to seal.
There were a staggering 20 of them. They had managed to tie down hard-to-find mages to the territory in one go. And this number was sure to grow.
Naturally, the mages were satisfied too.
“I heard this territory has a lot of money, but it’s this much?”
“I also heard the buildings were built by dwarves? They have impressive functionality as well as aesthetic appeal.”
“Well, my aesthetic sense is quite exceptional.”
“Just how much money does it take to fully provide for the Mana Convergence Circle like this?”
These are wizards who have never even seen a Mana Convergence Circle in their lifetime. If they had that level of skill, they definitely wouldn’t be unaffiliated.
Every night, they dedicated themselves to personal training under Vanessa’s teachings. They wanted to learn all day, but Vanessa was strangely busy.
“Hmm, since Vanessa is a 6th Circle mage, it makes sense she would be busy.”
“She often leaves during the day, I wonder what she’s up to?”
“She’s probably focusing on personal research to break through to a new realm.”
They sent infinite admiration towards Vanessa because they had learned so much from her.
Since they joined late, it was only natural that they felt a bit awkward with the existing wizards. They often gathered together and chit-chatted.
“It’s comfortable and nice, but I don’t know if I deserve this kind of treatment.”
“The treatment is so good it makes me uneasy. Isn’t there something we can do to help with the territory?”
“By the way, I noticed the mages from the Tower of the Bloody Flame always laugh whenever they see us. I wonder why?”
If it was mockery, they would be angry, but that wasn’t the case. It was a pitying and soft smile.
Just as they focused on their training half joyfully, half apologetically, someone sent by Claude arrived.
“It seems you need to help with territory work.”
“Uh-huh, yeah. It’s about time for that. Lead the way.”
Wizards were humble towards high officials but arrogantly dismissive towards commoners.
They moved to the open space in front of the research facility, wearing haughty expressions as they followed the guide.
After waiting a moment, several wagons arrived and the coachman shouted.
“Fire Magic! Anyone specializing in Fire Magic is needed!”
A few wizards stepped forward.
“I’m from the Fire School, what’s the matter?”
“Quick, get on!”
“What?”
“Get on now! There’s no time!”
Although the wizards were puzzled, they climbed onto the wagons.
The wagons in the back were noisy as well.
“Anyone good with Wind Magic, get on! We need help with road leveling too!”
“This team needs laborers, so focus on auxiliary magic!”
“We need to clear big rocks! We need someone who can definitely destroy them!”
“…….”
The wizards fell silent. It felt like a manpower agency was urgently recruiting laborers.
“These… these guys dare to speak to a wizard like this…”
Before the wizards could get angry, Alfoy and the existing wizards rushed out from the research facility.
“Hey, hey, let’s get going!”
Following Alfoy’s words, the wizards climbed onto the wagons. They looked at the bewildered wizards standing around.
“What are you doing? Get on. We have work to do.”
“If you’re late, it’ll just get harder later.”
“Looks like these folks still can’t figure out the situation.”
The newly joined wizards stammered and asked.
“W-What kind of work could possibly involve such dirty movements?”
Alfoy chuckled and replied.
“What kind of work, you ask? Mainly construction. We have to clear rocks, drain septic tanks, overturn land, build structures, and move cargo. In short, there’s plenty of magic work to be done.”
“M-Mages do such work?”
“Well, who else would? Magic is the fastest way to handle it.”
“W-We’ve never done anything like that. Such work isn’t fit for a mage’s status. It’s too embarrassing for us to do.”
“Even I, the ‘Man Who Defeated the Gods,’ do such work. Are you saying you won’t? Now hurry up and get on! I’ll be the team leader at the construction site, just so you know! I’ve been waiting to see when you guys would get involved!”
“When are we getting started? I’ve been waiting!”
At Alfoy’s command, the mages squeezed their eyes shut and held back for now. With their numbers dwindling, they had no desire to fight the seasoned mages.
Just as they were trying to endure, Vanessa rushed over and jumped onto a wagon.
“What are you all doing? You need to get on quickly, or the construction will be delayed!”
“……”
Now he understood why she was always absent during the day. This crazy territory was even using 6th Circle Mages for construction work.
In a way, it was impressive. Working during the day, conducting personal research, and attending classes at night!
When someone like her told him to get on, he couldn’t just refuse. After all, in the mage community, circles were a form of power. Among them, the highest-ranking one was Vanessa.
Clatter, clatter!
The wagon carrying the mages spread throughout the territory. Alfoy patted the shoulder of one mage who was sulking beside him.
“At first, everyone feels like this. You might think to yourself, ‘Did I become a mage for this?’ But it gets better once you get used to it. I’ll even teach you gambling later.”
“……Understood.”
“Hey, cheer up. Do you think you’re special? Mages aren’t a big deal around here. Sometimes even the Goddess comes to visit.”
“……”
There were some mages who sulked for a few days, but Alfoy and his friends quickly subdued them. Even the one trying to escape was caught by Alfoy’s pursuit.
“W-what’s going on…? Didn’t you say you’re also 3rd Circle?”
The subdued mage asked in surprise, and Alfoy replied arrogantly.
“If you do construction, your skills improve.”
“……Don’t say such nonsense.”
“You’re judging based on our skill? I don’t know why, but your skills will improve, trust me. And if you have questions, just ask Vanessa. So think of it as training. If you try to run away again, you’re a goner. Got it?”
The more mages there were, the easier the work became. Alfoy had no intentions of letting them go easily.
With that, the mages began to accept their fate. Contracts aside, the teachings of Vanessa and the Mana Convergence Circle helped them endure.
Leveling up was every mage’s dream.
Of course, the existing mages had given up on that dream long ago. Their goal was simply to live well and eat well today.
Claude continued to promote the benefits of Vanessa’s teachings and the Mana Convergence Circle.
Word had spread even beyond the North.
It wasn’t many, but the rumors had attracted wandering mages who came one by one, and they all ended up getting caught in the Penris Territory.
“Hmm, fishing is going well. With more mages, construction is speeding up tremendously.”
It felt like every time he cast a fishing line, he caught something. That’s how enticing Vanessa and the Mana Convergence Circle were.
But of course, as more mages appeared, new problems inevitably emerged.
“We’re running low on Runestones. There’s hardly anything left to mine.”
Claude, who had assessed the situation in the territory, sought out Ghislaine.
They had consumed an incredible amount of Runestones for the territory’s development. With the amount sold to the Mage Tower, the depletion rate was accelerated.
Though they tried to conserve as much as possible by reducing sales to the Mage Tower, they had ultimately hit rock bottom.
Ghislaine, upon receiving the report, nodded casually.
“Yeah, it’s about time they ran out. But they lasted quite a while. We used them efficiently.”
“What should we do? If the Runestones run out, a lot of things will be delayed. There will be issues maintaining the Mana Convergence Circle, and we’ll have to reconsider our relationship with the Mage Tower too.”
“What are you worried about? The answer is obvious.”
Ghislaine grinned. Running low on Runestones? They could just go get more.
After all, the place was crawling with Runestones.
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