Chapter 186
Chapter 186
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: Introduction (1)
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Retrieving a secret ledger stolen by thieves.
Recapturing the Sem River docks.
Driving out the unaffiliated gang that occupied District O.
Chasing down an escaped convict.
Destroying the illicit liquor factory on the outskirts of Landa.
And various other tasks...
Over the past few days, Oliver had taken on quite a few jobs from the Crime Firm, mercenary groups, and businessmen.
Money wasn't the issue. He still had plenty to spare.
Even so, the reason he'd taken on so much work at once was to buy himself some free time.
By handling a bunch of jobs upfront like this, he could take a break under the guise of rest.
Ah, of course, it wasn't forced or anything.
It was simply Oliver's way of showing consideration for Forest, who was looking out for him.
Cocona, Arthur, Al, and others had told him that when the fixer cooperates like this, it makes things easier for the middlemen caught between clients and fixers.
In fact, Forest seemed to understand Oliver's intentions. When Oliver said he'd take a few days off, Forest nodded without asking why.
'You've worked so hard, so no one will complain if you skip jobs for a while. The timing's good too... Yeah, take your time off.'
During the break he'd earned that way, Oliver temporarily moved his lodgings to Merlin's mansion to attend lessons.
The lessons weren't anything too special.
It was self-directed learning: read the textbooks Merlin assigned on his own, and only ask about parts he didn't understand.
If you could read and had the will to learn, this method was far more effective, he'd said.
Once you'd finished the books, you'd give a lecture to Merlin on what you'd learned, and he'd evaluate whether you'd truly grasped it.
It might seem outdated or burdensome depending on your perspective, but Oliver was quite satisfied.
Reading and understanding the books on his own was enjoyable,
discussing them in Q&A to confirm his grasp was enjoyable,
and sharing knowledge with others was rewarding too.
But above all, what he liked most was that it respected the student's autonomy.
That meant Oliver could sneak off to the mansion's library now and then for other studies.
Like right now.
"Hmm... History's pretty interesting."
Oliver murmured as he read a history book on the Magic Tower.
The Magic Tower, which shared Landa's history, boasted great prestige and mystery, so there wasn't a ton of info in books, but it still had more details than what Oliver picked up from eavesdropping.
For example, the Tower's roots began as a mere branch of various magic schools.
"Trying to study up on the Magic Tower before heading in?"
Merlin, who had approached unnoticed, peered at the book and asked.
Oliver hadn't sensed his approach. It seemed Merlin had reinforced his magic to thoroughly mask his presence.
Oliver could occasionally read faint emotions, but Merlin countered it the moment he noticed.
A bit disappointing, but Oliver kept his composure and replied calmly.
"You've arrived."
"Boring reaction."
"Ah, sorry. Should I do it again?"
"What, redo it? Anyway, is that book interesting?"
Merlin glanced at the book Oliver was reading and answered.
"Yes, it's fairly interesting. I learned some things I didn't know."
"Like about the Tower's origins?"
Merlin eyed the same section Oliver had been focused on.
"Yes. I thought the Tower was the main headquarters for each school."
Oliver admitted honestly.
It was the kind of statement that mainstream mages might mock as ignorant, but surprisingly, most commoners thought the same.
After all, the Magic Tower in Landa was the largest magic organization in Seland... no, in the chosen nations.
It was a misunderstanding born from information gaps and the magic society's closed nature.
Merlin, aware of this, didn't tsk but explained kindly instead.
"Well, it's understandable. Excluding the small stuff, the Tower's the most prosperous in scale and capital."
"How did it get that way?"
"Actually, it's natural."
"Pardon?"
"Landa's been deeply tied to mages from the start, so regulations on magic here are practically nonexistent compared to elsewhere."
Oliver nodded. Mages had played a big role in recovering from the Great Catastrophe, so Landa's birth was inseparable from them.
"A city with no restrictions or checks. Curiosity's bound to spark. So not just local schools, but overseas ones with headquarters abroad opened branches here too. To outsource research they didn't want to handle themselves."
With that, Merlin drew a diagram on the desk with magic.
"You're dirtying the desk."
"Who cares? I bought it with my own money."
"Ah..."
A small circle appeared on the table, with arrows converging on it.
"That was the start, sure. Each school's Landa branch was just a research outpost for the main headquarters. They could pull out anytime if it soured. But thanks to the lack of regs, research progressed steadily upward, leading to more projects. Autonomy and funding naturally increased."
More arrows poured in, and the circle grew.
"Eventually, they leveraged that autonomy for their own ventures. Tech development partnerships with corporations, production collaborations, that sort. Money flowed in, scale expanded."
The circle swelled again.
"This made Landa branches increasingly vital to the schools, turning it into a proxy battleground. But then a twist came."
"What was it?"
"Mages working in Landa branches started identifying more with Landa than their schools."
"Your face says you don't get it. Fair enough. But back then, it was huge. Mages usually tied their identity to their school. Schools were essential to become mainstream in mage society."
"...Ah, but Landa became independent on its own."
"Exactly. The schools realized too late. The Tower branches had grown comparable to headquarters."
Flip.
Merlin turned the page.
"The branches in Landa secretly met and made a pact. Why fight each other in a place overflowing with opportunities? It wasn't wrong. Their rice bowls overlapped a bit, but there was plenty to go around through talks. So they conspired and merged. And that's the Magic Tower today."
"Did the schools accept it?"
"What choice did they have? The situation had changed. They couldn't even oppose the Tower setting up its own education system and ended up approving it. Now, most schools have this weird equal or reversed subordinate relationship with their Tower branches."
Oliver read the open page.
Not direct, but it hinted at the info, just as Merlin said.
Oliver shared his feelings.
"...It's interesting."
"History always is. More gripping than any tale... logical, dramatic. Nothing's missing."
Merlin's words carried weight, not just idle chatter.
Just as Oliver was about to ask about it, Merlin beat him to it.
"I was impressed seeing you read a Magic Tower history book. Answer me. Studying up in advance?"
Merlin's initial question. Oliver shook his head.
"Similar, but a bit different."
"Oh...? How so?"
Oliver glanced at the stack of books beside him.
Not just Magic Tower and school histories, but also The History of Religion and Faith.
"I was looking into this."
The book Oliver pulled out was a handwritten magic research journal.
Calling it a research journal was a stretch; it was more like a lightning mage's diary, full of the author's personal circumstances.
"A Tower student's research journal. Where'd you get it?"
"During a job."
"Fixer work?"
"Yes."
Merlin nodded as if he got the gist.
Oliver couldn't read his mind through the mana barrier, but there were no strong emotions.
"...A young man who flunked out of Tower competition."
Oliver nodded.
The journal's owner was Aidri, a former student of the Pure Mana School and the owner of the illicit liquor factory in the development-restricted zone—Murphy's rival.
The early parts faithfully covered magic research and training, but midway, it shifted to personal stories.
Not pleasant ones.
"Classic tale. Latent magic talent awakens by chance, gets adopted into a mage family like merchandise, then discarded when limits show."
"Does that happen often?"
Oliver asked to confirm. The journal suggested it was common.
"Can't say it doesn't."
"Hmm... So, are backroom deals rampant in the Tower? That's why I was checking Tower books."
That was it.
Aidri feared his talent's limits, expulsion from the family, and the cutoff of tuition and living expenses.
He pretended otherwise, but fear leaked through his handwriting and tone.
To his credit, he tried to stay positive and made plans.
He mentioned the rampant 'backroom deals' in the Tower, vowing to carve his fate there.
A Tower mage grad would be useful anywhere, he figured.
Skilled enough, he connected with a student in that scene, got involved somehow, and learned the ropes.
For reference, Tower backroom deals came in many flavors.
'Smuggling' unused experiment tools, failed low-quality scrolls, crude student potions sold on the sly.
'Side gigs' taking magic jobs like fixers.
Or 'whispers' leaking Tower info or shipment routes.
But the biggest was 'backchannel processing': professors and all, systematically selling illegal potions, scrolls, drugs, magic booze.
According to Aidri, the scale was mind-boggling, propping up Landa's underworld economy.
That's why he stole a magic booze recipe and set up his factory right after leaving the Tower.
The participants were diverse too.
Students like Aidri scraping by, thrill-seeking noble kids, assistants, staff, even professors.
Merlin read the part Oliver had, but showed no surprise.
As if he knew already.
Oliver pointed it out.
"You're not shocked."
"What's to shock? Everything has an expiration date."
"Expiration date?"
"Everything twists and rots eventually."
With that, Merlin gathered mana in his hand and poured it into the journal.
Shrrr. Shrrr. The mana made a mechanical whir, and soon hidden mana in the journal reacted, floating into the air.
Whoosh!
Merlin snatched the mana info from the journal like catching prey.
"What's that?"
"Basic security spell. Hides key info in mana. They even bothered with anti-detection, so well-trained kid."
"Can I ask what it said?"
"Nope."
"Pardon?"
Oliver blinked at the unexpected refusal. Merlin was firm.
"Think of it as tuition. I just taught you this security spell exists."
Ah... Fair point.
He hadn't even known about it until Merlin showed him.
Oliver nodded in acceptance.
"You're right."
"Good attitude, admitting it. Here's a reward."
"A reward?"
"Yeah. Introducing the guy taking you to the Tower—and your temporary senior brother. Come in."
The door opened, and a man entered.
Whatever device he used, Oliver hadn't noticed him. But seeing his face made it irrelevant.
"Nice to meet you."
The black-haired, red-skinned mage, Kevin Dunba, said.
"Or should I say, long time no see?"