EP.16
After the audience was over, there were no further appointments left for the day.
My parents hadn’t particularly called me home, and originally, I had planned to head east beyond the Empire once the audience concluded. So, I hadn’t made any requests or arrangements.
And that meant I had plenty of time on my hands.
There was no need to procrastinate, so I intended to begin gathering information on those affiliated with the Empress right away.
However, my plans never seemed to manifest.
“Hehe.”
“…Are you really that happy?”
“Yes, indeed! I’ve been waiting for a moment like this to arrive.”
“Well, if you’re happy…”
I found myself being dragged by Maria as we wandered the Palatinate.
At first, I was half-heartedly going along, but as time passed and lunch approached, I started to enjoy myself too.
“Oh, what’s this? Is it some kind of ornament?”
“Oh, that’s candy. It’s made by magically crushing sugar and fruit to create little gems.”
“…Magic tanghulu?”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, never mind.”
Truly, the capital of the Empire was bustling with all sorts of extravagant luxuries and fine goods that simply couldn’t be found in the provinces. It seemed the nobility were indeed thriving in this era, as the skills in crafting jewels and jewelry had progressed like mad.
I could see why the image of nouveau riche being critiqued as lacking elegance and drowning in jewels existed.
After all, it must not look too good for those who had just made a bit of money to indiscriminately splurge on expensive items under the pretense of elegance while they themselves were patrons or employers of artists who could create such maddeningly exquisite art pieces from seemingly mundane gold.
“By the way, are wizards involved in such work?”
“I hear that some wizards affiliated with the Magic Tower take on jobs like this when their research funds are running low.”
“Goodness.”
But the most surprising part was that merchants were hiring wizards for these tasks.
In my memory, all wizards were quite hapless and arrogant figures.
Frankly, it was no wonder.
Being a wizard was a field only a chosen few could even aspire to reach. Even among those capable of sensing and wielding magic, only a tiny fraction could ascend to the level of becoming a wizard.
In short, they were people living in their own little world of superiority.
So, it was astonishing that they would ever kneel before money.
“Those wizards aren’t nobles, yet they bow down for cash?”
“Most of the vendors here in the capital are affiliated with the Merchant Guild.”
“Huh.”
However, dealing with the Merchant Guild changed the narrative.
In a world where magic and auras existed, if they were to say ‘screw you,’ they could literally stab a ship in half, and when it reversed back to their disadvantage, they could counter and declare ‘screw you’ right back, threatening nobles to fight them if they dared. It seemed entirely possible that they could afford to hire wizards.
“Now that’s just fascinating.”
Yet, even considering the involvement of wizards, the streets of the Palatinate were incredibly vibrant.
Jewelry adorned with gold leaf was being sold at stalls. In a blacksmith’s shop so large it could easily be mistaken for a mansion, the sound of hammering echoed tirelessly. Dried fish shops and grocery stores were magically transporting food and selling fresh goods without any processing.
The inn was bustling, and the smell of grilling meat and simmering stew wafted out into the streets. However, that aroma was quickly overshadowed by the scents of snacks one would only expect to find in modern times, almost forgotten after just a few steps.
As we ventured further, we encountered intricate machinery like clocks and all manner of upscale clothing stores.
It felt like a department store. Even after walking for several hours, the market showed no signs of ending, as if this entire district was solely designed for commercial activities.
“You usually linger around places far from prosperity, so I guess you haven’t seen much of this kind of place?”
“That’s right. If I had known it would be like this, I should’ve come here much sooner.”
Despite my confidence in having explored various places, I had never encountered anything like this. While it could be considered just a market, this market square easily dwarfed the size of many towns. The sheer number of people around could likely overshadow the court of a provincial lord.
As I wandered for a while, Maria led me down an alley.
“Uh, isn’t this place unrelated to the market?”
“Shh, please be quiet for a moment.”
“Mm.”
Maria’s finger touched her lips. In this bewildering situation, my mind froze, and I was pulled along by her hand without any thought.
Where Maria stopped was a shabby building that had neither a sign nor any distinguishing features.
“This is it.”
“…Really?”
No matter how I thought about it, it seemed far too rundown. It was hard to believe there was anything valuable inside given how dilapidated it looked.
And I realized that this conclusion had been quite hasty.
“Goodness.”
Don’t underestimate fantasy, earthling.
As soon as I stepped inside the building, I learned that in a world where magic exists, all things like engineering become somewhat meaningless.
Setting aside the shabby exterior, the inside was not small by any means. Although it was tucked away in an alley, it occupied an entire wall, making it distinctly sizable.
Inside the building, there were no columns obstructing the view; the space was open and even had a basement that stretched out in all directions, independent of the main structure.
“What exactly is this place?”
Though I wasn’t a wizard, I had once aspired to understand magic and had diligently studied its theory. However, even after having called upon wizards from the Magic Tower and studying up to the fifth tier of magic, I had never seen magic capable of such a display.
Considering that one must be able to use fourth-tier magic to be referred to as a wizard, it became clear that such a feat required several highly talented and advanced wizards—or perhaps even a Grand Mage.
Either way, solving such matters with money would require literally astronomical sums, and solving them through power would necessitate more than ordinary influence.
As I marveled and scanned my surroundings, Maria tugged me along once more.
“This building has existed since ancient times. For reasons unknown, it’s been used as a secret market since the past.”
“…An underground market?”
A rather ominous scent wafted through the air.
As my awe turned to suspicion, Maria gave a gentle smile and shook her head.
“No, it’s not that kind of creepy. Its existence is quite public.”
“Then why is it a secret market?”
Instead of answering, she simply raised her finger.
[“Ignite.”]
It was the incantation for a lighting spell, a classic used almost exclusively for lighting a cigarette.
However, what appeared atop Maria’s finger was a swirling flame that was far too large to be called a simple flame.
She flicked her finger to extinguish the fire and smiled at me.
“Only those with magical abilities can enter this barrier.”
Her words made my heart race.
A secret market that exists in the very center of the capital, accessible only to wizards?
I couldn’t resist that.
“Hehe.”
Maria seemed to anticipate my reaction and let out a laugh.
…I felt a bit embarrassed.
—
Indeed, this place had the worthiness to be called a market exclusively for wizards.
While on the surface, the market was merely a general store selling everyday goods, this place was a level above.
The general store here sold all sorts of tools required for magical experiments and work. From beakers to tools for confirming magical reactions, it was truly a treasury of wizardry supplies.
Meanwhile, dried fish shops and grocery stores were treated as very high-end establishments. Unlike the food ingredients sold on the surface, here they dealt with materials used specifically for magic.
For instance, while a herring in a surface dried fish shop might be sold for a price slightly higher than that of a well-prepared meal, here it flaunted labels like “aged for 200 years” or “caught in the deep sea where thousand-year-old monsters dwell,” and was priced at the cost of a meal paired with wine in a fine dining restaurant.
On the other hand, jewelry shops received the most trivial treatment compared to those on the surface. In fact, prices here were even lower than those found above ground.
Most jewelry shops in this place sold nothing more than unprocessed raw minerals. Consequently, they were cheaper than those on the surface. There was, however, a single store where jewelry crafted by a wizard was sold. It was no joke; the prices there could easily buy a few houses in the capital.
That said, there was no blacksmith shop or place where blacksmiths sold their goods.
“This is quite unusual.”
“There’s really nothing unexpected about it. Wizards active in the Magic Tower aren’t short on money because they’re financially struggling; it’s just that research funds are absurdly expensive. Everyone has at least one blacksmith they regularly deal with, and some even enter sponsorship agreements with a specific one.”
As I admired Maria’s unimpeded explanations while we wandered around, she suddenly whispered softly.
“Hehe, I knew you’d like it.”
After having a bit of fun exploring, I realized she was trying to say something discreetly. Since she would normally cast a silence spell to keep things to herself, this was clearly meant for my ears.
“…Can you tell?”
“If you can’t figure this out, you might as well be Wilhelm.”
“Why does it have to be me?”
“Just because.”
She poked me in the side with her finger and moved ahead.
“Shall we find something to eat? I think lunch hour has already passed.”
Only then did it dawn on me that I had been wandering around since breakfast. Checking my watch, it was past three in the afternoon. It was way too late for lunch but too early for dinner.
“Oh no, my bad.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. I actually enjoy following you around.”
I stuck close to her side.
“However, I’m not very familiar with this place.”
“That’s alright. I know it well.”
With that, she led me toward a restaurant. Given the size of the place, it took us several minutes to make our way there.
“Welcome.”
“I’m Maria Hoffburg. We have a reservation.”
“Yes, right this way.”
“…Reservation?”
Curious, I asked her about this strange remark. Though she had suddenly asked me to follow her this morning, the mention of a reservation implied she had likely planned this well in advance.
“I can’t just suddenly go somewhere without any preparation, can I?”
“That’s true, but… your escort knights seemed completely unaware of this.”
As I remembered, the Iron Cross Order had reacted in a flurry to her sudden outing announcement. If this had been a planned engagement, they would have surely known.
However, Maria effortlessly countered this point.
“With you around, do we really need more escorting in the capital?”
“…Well, I suppose that makes sense.”
After all, the Iron Cross Order had introduced me to her as their charge. While they were quite capable, ultimately, the knights moved to support her because of me, which meant there was a significant skill gap.
…Now that I said it, her reasoning was utterly flawless.
Wait, is this really the right way to think?
“Once you’re done talking, please just follow me quietly.”
“Uh, okay.”
Caught off guard, I followed Maria into a room led by the waiter.
And then the door closed. Maria’s eyes glinted sharply from across the table.
In that moment, realization struck me.
‘Oh wait.’
Am I now alone in a room with just Maria, with no one else around?
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