Chapter 28
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 028
Chapter Title: The Four Basic Elements
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Andy gazed at the man standing before him.
"I'm terribly sorry, Mage."
He was someone Andy knew well.
Dieterich, the city lord. The man who had commissioned him to subjugate the magic beast. A pseudo-noble bearing the title of county magistrate and the city's true power broker.
Right now, he was bowing deeply to Andy.
"Our mistake has put you in grave danger."
"..."
"Upon investigating the magic beast you slew, we discovered it wasn't a low-grade beast after all—it was mid-grade."
That was why he was bowing to the boy.
They had commissioned the subjugation assuming it was low-grade.
But contrary to expectations, it turned out to be mid-grade, nearly costing the young mage his life.
So Dieterich had come personally to Andy's inn to apologize with a deep bow.
Meanwhile, Andy nodded as if he had anticipated this.
'That beast felt unusually strong. So it wasn't an ordinary magic beast after all.'
The spider-like magic beast had definitely been no ordinary creature.
Its size alone was abnormal.
A spider the size of a small room. Even the spirit beast Kurt would be overwhelmed by such a massive body.
And what about its toughness?
'It took multiple lightning strikes from me and still wouldn't go down.'
Andy’s lightning magic was far from weak.
During his first encounter with Kurt, he had subdued the spirit beast with a single spell and even forced its submission.
Now, having formed his circle, his lightning magic was even more powerful than before.
Yet it had taken over ten direct hits from that lightning magic to finally bring down the spider.
For a typical magic beast, that was extraordinary durability.
'And it could even control spider silk from a distance.'
The ability to manipulate distant threads and bind its target. That unique power had rendered Andy completely helpless, nearly killing him.
If Andy had been just an ordinary first-circle mage without his overwhelming talent?
If he hadn't broken free of the bindings?
He would have been the one to die, not the spider.
Mid-grade magic beasts were that threatening.
He stared quietly at the city lord.
"I'll make sure nothing like this happens again by paying closer attention. And as atonement for this error, I've prepared additional compensation. Please..."
The city lord was still bowed low, pleading for forgiveness.
Andy scratched his head, his feelings complicated.
Truth be told, he wasn't thrilled.
Bad information had nearly cost him his life. Anyone in his position would feel resentful.
But on the other hand, he knew something.
'It's not the city lord's fault. That spider was originally low-grade.'
From what the ranch village chief had said, the spider that first took over the ranch had been low-grade.
But it had devoured dozens of people and countless livestock, evolving into a mid-grade beast.
People hadn't realized it had evolved. And in the meantime, Andy had accepted the city lord's commission and headed to the ranch village.
It was just bad luck.
It had only been about a month since it appeared—who could have guessed it would evolve to mid-grade so quickly?
Besides...
'He's apologizing this sincerely. It'd feel wrong to stay mad.'
The man had come to the inn himself and bowed to a young boy. His sincerity was evident.
If he had dodged responsibility, it would be different, but this middle-aged man was owning his mistake and begging forgiveness. It was hard for the boy to lash out.
Andy let out a small sigh and helped the city lord stand.
"Please raise your head, City Lord."
"...Do you forgive me, Mage?"
"Yes."
At Andy's words, the city lord slowly straightened up. He cautiously studied the boy's expression.
Only then did he finally relax. There was no sign of malice on Andy's face.
Meanwhile, he trembled with emotion.
'What mercy from such a young mage!'
The city lord knew mages well. Back when he had studied in a major city, he had indirectly experienced noble society and encountered mages.
And every mage he had met... no, all of them had been arrogant pricks.
It was almost inevitable.
Mages wielded supernatural powers, individuals surpassing entire groups.
To them, powerless commoners of lowly status must seem like insects.
Knights at least pretended to be merciful due to their code of chivalry, but mages? Not a chance. That was why so many mages were notoriously cranky and ill-tempered.
But the boy before him was different.
This young mage was clearly part of the privileged class—one with such promise that he had already formed a circle at his age.
Despite nearly losing his life to their fatal mistake, he forgave them without a single harsh word.
It was an act of utmost compassion. Any other mage would have demanded heads roll or thrown a tantrum...
So the city lord resolved himself.
'I must offer the maximum possible compensation.'
Even if the boy forgave him, it didn't erase their error.
They couldn't just gloss over it with a half-hearted apology. He knew empty words lacked sincerity.
He slowly opened his mouth.
"As a token of my remorse, I'll offer compensation. Tell me if you want 200 gold coins or items of equivalent value, and I'll prepare them accordingly."
"...How much did you say?"
200 gold coins.
That was the city lord's offer.
Late that evening, inside the inn room.
Andy muttered softly.
"200 gold coins... That's an incredible reward."
Earlier, the city lord had said as much.
He would pay 200 gold for the magic beast subjugation.
The standard reward for a mid-grade beast was 60 to 80 gold. But to beg forgiveness for their blunder, the city lord offered more than double.
And so, Andy's reward came to 200 gold coins.
An enormous sum.
In a small city like this, it could buy a modest two-story mansion or a luxurious carriage fit for the upper class.
Money most commoners could never dream of saving. And Andy had earned it in a single day.
A broad smile spread across his face at the generous payout.
He pondered.
'What should I ask for as compensation?'
He had taken the magic beast commission in the first place to acquire magic items.
That hadn't changed, so he still preferred magic items over cash.
Andy ran through potential magic items in his mind.
'First, a fire magic book is essential. It'd keep me warm in winter, and it's useful in combat too.'
Suddenly, he recalled his fight with the spider.
Back then, bound by its silk, he couldn't do a thing. Covered head to toe in tough, sticky threads, he couldn't even aim properly at the beast.
But if he knew fire magic, things would have been different.
He could have incinerated the silk binding him in an instant and counterattacked the spider.
Fire had the strongest destructive power among elements. Learning it would prove useful in daily life and battle alike.
'With 200 gold... I could get books for other elements too.'
Andy had no intention of settling for just fire magic.
200 gold was enough for more than one— he could snag books for the other elements as well.
"Should I just take all four basic element magic books?"
The four basic elements. The most commonly studied by mages: water, fire, wind, and earth.
Mastering these was fundamental for any mage. Their versatility made them indispensable; nearly every mage learned them.
'Unlike lightning, these are useful in everyday life too. Learning all four would be great.'
Truth be told, lightning wasn't very popular.
It had almost no practical uses outside combat, and its difficulty was far higher than other elements.
Only battle mages typically bothered with it.
But the four basics were different—common elements perfect for daily use.
Andy felt himself leaning toward learning all four basic elements.
"Still feels like it falls short."
Even all four books together barely exceeded 100 gold in value.
Far less than the promised 200. Even asking for the four would leave about 100 gold spare.
Any other magic items to request?
Or just take the rest in cash?
The boy rested his chin on his hand, deep in happy thought.
"Attention all. Orders from command."
Empire Army infantry tribune Hartmann spoke up. The centurions lined up in the command tent focused on him.
The tribune pointed to a spot on the map and continued.
"There's a city about a week's march from here. Resident population around a thousand, including transients and refugees not even two thousand. Just your typical small city."
The small city Hartmann indicated on the map. A common sight in these borderlands.
Calling it a city was generous—it was more like a large village.
Such rural outposts dotted the countryside.
He went on.
"Our mission is to seize that city."
The Empire forces had broken through the front lines and surged south unstoppable.
But they had halted at some point to regroup and secure supply lines.
That respite was now over.
After weeks of rest, they had recovered their strength and restocked supplies, restoring full combat readiness.
Now the Empire Army was gearing up to advance again—not content with merely breaching the lines, they aimed to plunge deep into Federation territory.
Seizing the city was preparatory work.
Dispersing centuriae or cohorts to occupy cities large and small along the invasion route.
Paving the way so the main legion could march unimpeded.
Hartmann's unit wasn't alone.
Numerous advance units—centurions and tribunes—would strike their assigned cities.
He continued.
"The city our cohort is targeting should have only about twenty guards and a few dozen militia at most. Easy pickings."
Conquering a thousand-strong city with just three hundred men?
It sounded absurd at first glance, but it was entirely feasible.
A city of a thousand might have only dozens of guards. Even including untrained militia, their effective force was under a hundred.
Less than ten percent of the population could fight properly.
In contrast, they were Empire soldiers—elite troops hardened by frontline experience.
To them, a puny city of a thousand was child's play.
"In one week, we strike that city. Until then, maintain peak physical condition and equipment readiness."
"Understood, Tribune!"
"Dismissed."
No one there doubted the city's fall.
It was a given. The ragtag defenses of a rural outpost couldn't hope to stop them.
They expected to complete the mission with ease.
But they didn't know.
That a young mage lived in their target city.
The Empire Army prepared to seize the city.