I’ll Live My Own Way
It was early dawn.
In front of the north gate platform as the city of Rowen was about to be left behind, wagon after wagon stood in a line, loaded with luggage.
Our family’s belongings were meager: a few changes of clothes, blankets, and a little cookware.
“Hans, you really won’t come with us?”
My mother couldn’t let go of my hand, even right up until she had one foot on the wagon.
“Don’t worry. You know me—I’m like a weed. I can survive anywhere.”
“Still... don’t go hungry. And don’t sleep somewhere cold.”
“I know. Now hurry and get on. The driver’s waiting.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard. If things get rough, come to us anytime.”
My father patted my shoulder a couple of times.
The warmth of his rough palm.
That was the last goodbye.
“Let’s go!”
At the whip crack from the driver, the old wagon lurched forward with a rattle.
In the back window, I could see my mother waving as the wagon pulled farther and farther away.
I stood there as if nailed to the spot, until the wagon disappeared completely from sight and only a cloud of dust remained.
“Hoo...”
I let out a long breath.
Now I was truly alone.
There was no home to return to, no fence left to protect me.
I clenched my pocket.
Inside it lay the [Black Forest Forestry] stock certificate that would change my life from the ground up.
I can’t keep carrying this around.
If I went to sleep with it tucked against my chest in the back alleys of a city where law and order were scarce, I could get knifed without anyone even noticing.
The first thing I had to do was seal away this future gold so nobody could touch it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[Rowen Stock Exchange - Underground Level 2 Magic Vault Room]
“I’d like to place a stock certificate in safekeeping.”
When I handed over the certificate, the clerk at the reception window opened her eyes wide.
“Yes, of course. Our exchange uses an integrated magic network linked with the Continental Mage Guild. If you deposit it here, you can retrieve it from any exchange on the continent.”
The clerk led me down a corridor beyond a massive iron door.
Small private rooms lined both sides of the hallway.
“Please enter Certification Room 3. Once the door closes, no one will be able to eavesdrop. Follow the instructions to register.”
I nodded and stepped into Room 3.
Clack.
As the heavy door shut, all the noise from outside was cut off completely.
Perfect soundproofing.
In the middle of the dark room, on a pedestal that looked almost like an altar, sat a transparent crystal sphere about the size of a soccer ball, glowing with a blue light.
Certification procedure beginning.
A magical voice of indeterminate gender rang out from the crystal sphere.
Please place the item to be deposited into the intake slot.
Just as instructed, I put the certificate into the drawer beneath the sphere.
Black Forest Forestry, 1,057 shares. Confirmed.
Please place your hand on top of the crystal sphere for identity verification.
I laid my right hand on the crystal sphere.
Wuuung—
The crystal sphere glowed red and scanned my palm.
Is it reading the unique mana wave flowing through my body?
Since every person’s mana flow and color were different, this had to be the most reliable form of identification possible.
Mana wave registration complete. Finally, recite your soul password. In the future, when you withdraw the deposit, only the same owner of the same mana wave who speaks the same password will be able to break the seal.
Password.
What should I use?
In that instant, a phrase rose up in my mind almost instinctively.
“I’ll live my own way.”
Jing—
The crystal sphere vibrated briefly.
“I’ll live my own way...” Is that correct?
“Yes.”
Registration complete. Your assets have been safely stored in the continent’s magic vault.
The lights in the room went out, and the door opened.
I walked out empty-handed.
Leaving my stock in a magic vault really does put my mind at ease.
Now it didn’t matter if I got beaten by thugs or pickpocketed.
Even if they cut off my head, they still couldn’t take the stock.
Only my hand could touch that crystal sphere and withdraw it.
Forget the stock. Right now I’m broke.
I put myself under hypnosis.
For now, even if I starved to death, I would absolutely not open that vault!
But once I returned to reality, I realized I was hungry.
All I had left was forty coppers that jingled in my pocket.
I have to save it.
I readjusted my bag and started walking.
My destination was the Gray District on the outskirts of Rowen.
The slums, where the cheapest inns were crammed together.
One night costs one copper. I’ll spend exactly that much.
There was a place like that in the slums.
The conditions were truly terrible.
But all I need is a bed.
I didn’t care if bugs crawled out or mold bloomed on the walls.
As long as I could save money.
After wandering for quite a while, I’d just turned into a narrow alley when I heard a rough voice behind me.
“Hey, kid.”
I turned and found three intimidating-looking men blocking the road.
Typical back-alley thugs, in torn leather vests with rusty daggers at their waists.
“That bag looks pretty heavy. Want your big brothers to carry it for you?”
The one in the center sneered as he stepped toward me.
“I don’t need help.”
Something felt wrong.
I subtly clutched the bag and started backing away, and then I heard footsteps behind me as well.
I’d been surrounded.
“Come on, don’t be like that. What’s so precious that you’re carrying it around like that?”
Wham.
In a flash, one of them came up and shoved me in the shoulder.
When I sprawled helplessly onto the ground, they snatched the bag from me and dumped it out.
Crash.
Miscellaneous experimental tools, dozens of restored handkerchiefs, and spent magic stones scattered across the muddy ground.
“What’s all this? These rags?”
One of the men picked up a handkerchief, spat on it, and flung it away.
“And these stones look like spent magic stones. Why are you carrying around nothing but trash?”
“Boss! There’s a coin pouch in here.”
“Heh, forty coppers? Enough for a drink.”
“No! That’s all I have!”
One of them kicked me in the stomach.
“Ghk!”
The breath jammed in my throat.
The world flashed white before my eyes.
I can’t let them take it.
I already had more than ten gold’s worth of assets in my stock account, but if I didn’t have those forty coppers right now, I’d go hungry today.
Tszt—
Still curled up on the ground, I pretended to tremble in fear while secretly gathering mana.
[1st Tier Transformation Formula: Mana Needle]
When the flow of mana used to stitch thread was compressed tightly enough, it became a thin needle.
I fixed the transparent needle backward into the ground.
I couldn’t launch it.
That still wasn’t my territory yet.
Now.
Thuk!
The thug holding the coin pouch stepped forward and planted his foot right on the needle.
Blood sprayed.
“Ugh... what the hell?”
As he lost his balance and collapsed, I quickly snatched the pouch from his hand.
Then I ran.
“Hey, you little bastard! Stop right there!”
“If we catch you, you’re dead!”
The thugs came after me.
They were fast.
Mana Needle.
I desperately made one more and set it down on the ground, but this time luck wasn’t on my side.
Swish.
The magic scattered away in vain.
It was still too much for me to use my own mana to make two shots in a row without the help of a magic stone.
“Heh... you rat!”
Before I knew it, one of the thugs had snatched the coin pouch from my hand.
At that exact moment—
“Stop.”
A low, razor-sharp voice rang through the alley.
“W-Who are you?”
The thugs turned their heads.
At the mouth of the alley stood a wagon engraved with ornate patterns.
Before it, a knight in silver armor.
“A pack of trash extorting commoners. What is the city guard doing?”
The knight strode forward and seized the wrist of the one holding my coin pouch.
Crack.
“Aaaagh!”
With a scream, the pouch dropped to the ground.
The remaining thug drew his dagger and lunged, but the knight didn’t even bother to sneer.
Pow!
One punch.
The simple, clean strike sent the big thug flying like a scarecrow, slamming him into the wall.
It was over in an instant.
“Get lost. Before you dirty my sword.”
“R-Run!”
The thugs fled in terror.
The one whose foot had been pierced by the mana needle also limped away.
Rustle.
The knight picked up the coin pouch from the ground, brushed off the dirt, and held it out to me.
“Are you all right, boy?”
“Ah... yes. Thank you.”
I took the pouch.
Then I gathered up the scattered tools and spent magic stones and stuffed them back into my bag.
Just then, the wagon door opened and someone approached.
“Oh my.”
When I looked up, a woman in a maid’s uniform was gazing down at me.
She was the maid from Count Valderk’s house who had come a few days earlier with the torn velvet dress and the butler.
“Goodness, aren’t you Hans from Carter’s fabric shop?” the maid asked in surprise.
“Oh my, what a coincidence. We were actually on our way to see you.”
“Me?”
“That velvet dress you repaired a few days ago. The young lady is very pleased with it. She says she can’t believe that kind of workmanship and wants to meet the tailor herself...”
Then she studied my face and asked, “But why on earth are you here looking like that?”
“Our shop had to close down.”
I gave her a brief explanation.
The fabric shop had gone under, so my parents had gone down to the countryside, while I’d stayed behind in the city.
And while I was trying to find a cheap room, this happened.
“So you don’t have anywhere to go right now?”
“I was just looking for a cheap inn.”
Then—
Clunk.
The wagon door opened, and out stepped a noble young lady in a splendid dress, radiating poise.
That girl is...?
My eyes widened.
The owner of this splendid wagon.
It was none other than Lady Ellen, the treasured jewel of the Valderk family.
“You’re the son of the fabric shop that repaired my dress, aren’t you?”
“Yes, my lady. I’m Hans.”
“That dress from the other day. Thanks to your excellent work, I was able to save the tea party. Thank you.”
“...Not at all. It’s an honor.”
“Honestly, I was rather surprised. I didn’t think the dress Ponpar ruined would come back repaired so perfectly.”
“My skill was lacking, but I’m just glad I could make you happy, my lady.”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Ellen’s mouth.
“You’re modest too.”
She looked at me for a moment, then turned to the maid.
“Isn’t this perfect? The position for my personal tailor is vacant anyway. I’ve been having trouble because there’s no one to mend my dresses for every banquet.”
“That is true, but...”
“And now I’ve confirmed his skill... and he says he has nowhere to go.”
Ellen looked at me.
“Hans. Become my personal tailor.”
“......Pardon?”
“I have hundreds of dresses. I need someone to manage and repair them, and a talented tailor like you is perfect. As for the conditions...”
She held up five fingers.
“Your salary will be five silver coins a month. Room and board in a detached building on the estate. Other than mending my clothes, you may spend your time however you like.”
I thought I was hearing things.
Five silver coins a month?
That was more than ten times what I’d earned as an assistant librarian.
“Well? Sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn’t it?”
My mind spun rapidly.
I could live in a noble household?
For someone who had just been wandering the city looking for a subterranean room that cost one copper a night, this was practically a palace.
And under the shadow of the Valderk family, thugs like those wouldn’t dare lay a hand on me.
Most of all, I’d have free time.
Which meant I could research magic to my heart’s content.
“Thank you, my lady. I’ll serve you with all my heart.”
“Good. Then get in. Load your bag.”
The knight took my luggage and loaded it into the back of the wagon.
I immediately climbed into the side seat.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The wagon slipped away from the muddy roads of the slums and glided onto the main street.
How long had passed?
The scenery outside the window changed.
Instead of collapsing shanties, orderly brick mansions stood in rows.
The White District.
The place where the top one percent of Rowen lived.
I’d thought I’d never set foot somewhere like this in my entire life.
“We’ve arrived, my lady.”
The wagon rolled through a massive iron gate.
An emblem was carved into the gate above: a sword crossed with a golden sheaf of wheat.
The Valderk family!
One of Rowen’s wealthiest houses, and the real power behind the city’s supply lines.
One of the families that had become busiest—and richest—after the war broke out.
“You may get down now, Hans.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Ellen led the way, and I followed with my bag over my shoulder.
Servants in splendid uniforms stood in neat rows.
They bowed to Ellen, then frowned when they saw my shabby appearance as I stepped down behind her.
What’s that beggar doing here?
Those contemptuous looks.
Ellen didn’t seem to care and simply gave orders to the maid.
“Show Hans to the old detached quarters. He’ll be living there from now on, so give him a key too.”
“The old detached quarters... Ah, do you mean that storage building in the corner of the garden? It used to be the gardener’s place, but it’s been empty for a long time now.”
“Exactly. That’s what I want him to use. Hans said he needed a quiet place to work.”
“Yes, my lady.”
A separate space far away from the main house.
It was exactly the ideal condition I wanted.
“Come with me, Hans.”
The maid led me away.
I crossed the garden after her.
Past the splendid main residence, into a secluded corner overrun with trees and vines.
A small stone building covered in ivy came into view.
It was a sturdy-looking two-story structure, though its roof was mossy and the windows creaked.
“This is where you’ll stay. Use the first floor as your workspace and the second floor as your bedroom.”
The maid handed me a large ring of keys.
“Remember this. You’re never to enter the main house unless you’re summoned. You can eat in the servants’ dining hall, and if possible, keep your head down and stay out of sight.”
“Understood.”
“Ah... and my name is Nenie. You can call me that from now on.”
“Got it, Nenie.”
After Nenie left, I was alone.
Creak.
I opened the rusty door and went inside.
Dust rose in a pale cloud, but the interior was far larger than I’d expected.
On the first floor stood a large wooden table that looked as if it had once belonged to the gardener, and against one wall was a fireplace.
“Not bad.”
No—if I was being honest, it wasn’t just not bad; compared to a basement room in the slums, it was paradise.
First, ventilation.
I opened the windows to air the place out and set my bag down.
Then I stood for a moment in front of the worktable and steadied my breathing.
I don’t plan on staying here forever.
1,057 shares of Black Forest Forestry in the exchange vault.
Right now I only had a little over ten gold, but once black ironwood began to be supplied in earnest, it could easily climb to fifty gold, even a hundred.
When that money piles up, I’ll head for the imperial capital.
I’d heard that even commoners could get a chance to study magic at the Magic Tower if they had enough money.
Until then, I need to build my mana core as much as I can.
Fortunately, I’d been given an excellent training ground.
In the large basket Nenie had handed over were Ellen’s clothes.
A silk blouse with torn lace, riding clothes with missing buttons, a party dress stained with wine...
This is magic training.
Training in which I would tear apart and recombine all kinds of magical formulas that came to mind, then experiment with them.
In other words, the more clothes I repaired, the more my magic skill would grow along with it.
But before I could fix the clothes, there was something I needed to do first.
Noble houses had more eyes on them than I’d expected.
Someone could wander in at any time and see me casting magic.
I should strengthen the lock so just anybody can’t come barging in.
Magical formulas naturally surfaced in my mind.
I combined them into a magic circuit.
[1st Tier Composite Formula: Lock + Mana Recognition]
Modified so it wouldn’t open easily unless it recognized my mana wave.
All right, that should do it.
Now, the training could begin.
Slowly, I picked up a dress stained with wine from the basket.
A stubborn stain that wouldn’t come out easily with ordinary washing.
What a mess. This’ll be pretty tricky to remove.
But the trickier it was, the better training it would be for me.
Countless formulas wriggled and stirred in my head.