The Weight of the Title 'Mage'
The wandering mage.
His words caused a heavy silence to descend upon the inn.
It was as if the weight of the title "mage" was sending a shiver of tension through the air.
"...... Who is it?"
"Ah, I'm a mercenary hired by the Roph Merchant Group."
His demeanor was surprisingly polite for someone of his build.
However, Joseph was equally overwhelmed by that build, so he cautiously asked back.
"Is it possible that I'm the mage......?"
"We received the message from the guards stationed at the entrance to the village."
Just as I thought...
Joseph recalled the guards he had encountered upon entering the village.
It was likely that one of them had spoken about him.
Why did I say mage?
A thought crossed his mind for a moment, but Joseph immediately shook his head inwardly.
If he hadn't said mage, they wouldn't have let him in.
Unconsciously turning his head, he noticed people staring at him with tense faces.
Even when Joseph's eyes met theirs, they quickly averted their gazes.
...... What?
The mercenary who had approached him was also looking at Joseph cautiously, trying to appear nonchalant.
Although he was pretending, there was a strange tremor in his voice.
Since Joseph didn't say anything, the mercenary cautiously asked again.
"Um, are you perhaps hiding your identity?"
"...... No. Nothing like that."
Joseph shook his head.
If he had been hiding his identity, he wouldn't have shown his magic to the guards in the first place.
It was simply that the reactions around him were far beyond his expectations.
Joseph scratched his cheek in embarrassment and asked him.
"Is there someone who wants to meet me?"
"Yes."
"A merchant...... But why is the head of the guild looking for me?"
He shook his head.
"I haven't heard the detailed reasons. I was only sent to deliver the message that Seymo-nim invited the mage."
He answered while slightly bowing his head. It didn't seem like he would answer if asked anything more.
An invitation......
A foreign word. Especially in this world.
It didn't seem like he was lying. If there was another motive, he wouldn't have spoken like this in front of others.
"Well, could you come back tomorrow?"
However, he had no intention of following him right away.
Separate from his curiosity about the merchant group that was looking for him, Joseph had no information about the Roph Merchant Group or Seymo.
"Understood."
He nodded and immediately turned his back and left the place.
And soon the inn became quiet.
"......"
Joseph secretly checked the innkeeper's complexion.
He was now standing far away, rolling his eyes with an anxious face. It seemed he was chewing over the words he had said to Joseph earlier.
"Um......"
"Yes, yes! Did you call?"
When Joseph called him slightly, he came running and bowed.
The experienced, mature middle-aged man he had felt from the previous conversation had become hazy.
Clearly, he was scared of Joseph. Looking around, the mercenaries who had taken up positions had disappeared.
Although it was only for a moment, the conversation with him had completely changed the atmosphere of the inn.
It doesn't seem good to be too vigilant either.
Joseph, with a wry smile at the strange reaction, asked.
"Do you happen to know what the Roph Merchant Group is?"
"Yes, of course."
The innkeeper bowed his head and explained about the Roph Merchant Group.
The Roph Merchant Group was a merchant group belonging to the commercial union of this city, and it seemed to be a group that visited this village quite often.
The commercial union......
Joseph had also heard about the commercial union.
Unlike peddlers who traveled alone or in small groups selling goods in villages, the commercial union was created by merchants who succeeded in major cities joining forces.
Even the peddlers who came to Bari Village boasted that they had connections with the commercial union.
To that extent, they had a different level of goods and funds from ordinary merchants, and most peddlers aimed to become like them.
The innkeeper explained that the Roph Merchant Group had large warehouses in the city and traded with many people.
This seems like more than an ordinary merchant.
They sent people right after Joseph entered the village. It seemed like a fairly large merchant group that was deeply connected with the villagers.
Tap. Tap.
Joseph tapped the table with his fingers and turned his head.
Why is such a person looking for me?
The Roph Merchant Group that sent people right after hearing from the guards.
The innkeeper who was subtly watching Joseph's eyes.
And the reactions of the surrounding people who had all fled now.
Joseph knew that mages received honorable treatment from merchants who traveled through the village.
But that was only up to the point where it was known that mages who received treatment from nobles were like that, and he hadn't expected it to be like this even for himself.
"Why is that merchant group looking for me?"
"Th-th-that's because you're a mage, right?"
"Is it normal for mages to come looking for people like this?"
"...... Yes?"
"...... I told you earlier. There was no other mage in the place where I lived."
"Ah......"
At those words, the innkeeper frantically fumbled for an answer.
"W-well, I don't know well, but I don't think they're trying to hire you for the caravan."
"Hire? Ah......"
At his words, Joseph nodded.
It was a perfectly reasonable statement.
After all, magic is about making difficult and complicated things easy with mana.
Just having one mage would simplify most of the tasks required for the caravan.
With just one fire magic, countless logs would disappear, and with one water magic, heavy drinking water would decrease.
You wouldn't have to worry about exhaustion in summer, and you wouldn't feel cold in winter.
Above all, the terrifying power that a mage possesses.
Large caravans between fiefs and small ones between villages were tasks that required taking on all kinds of dangers.
Not only hungry beasts, but if a small village lacked food, bandit groups would form collectively.
But even those threats could be guarded against with a single attack magic. After all, if the person next to you turned to ashes in an instant, they wouldn't be able to escape.
Indeed, if you're a merchant, it would make your eyes spin.
Calculating the manpower and resources that could be saved with one mage, it was an enormous value.
So, how could any fool ignore that?
Merchant groups that possessed skilled mages naturally became famous in their own right.
Merchants who knew how to handle money wouldn't just pass by mages.
There were stories that large merchant groups had mages belonging to the group.
It was a story Joseph had heard from a peddler in Bari Village sometime ago.
But when he thought that far, Joseph clicked his tongue.
Even if the Roph Merchant Group wanted to hire Joseph, it would be meaningless.
After all, Joseph was an intermediate mage who couldn't even properly light a small fire.
Should I just refuse?
From the reactions, it seemed that if Joseph rejected the invitation, they wouldn't be able to express dissatisfaction.
Joseph would just rest a bit and leave the village.
Wait a minute.
Suddenly, he reached a thought.
...... If I'm careful, I might be able to get a new grimoire?
What Joseph needed most right now was a grimoire more than anything.
But a grimoire would certainly have great value, and Joseph didn't know how to obtain it at the moment.
Then, a situation arose where a merchant group handling goods and money was looking for him.
This is an opportunity.
He had gone to the big city alone countless times, worrying about how to become a proper mage.
Joseph wanted a human-like life. However, there were too many things he had to go through to achieve that.
For such a Joseph, this was an opportunity he couldn't miss.
What method is there to not be exposed as an awkward mage...... I need to think about it.
The next day, at the same time, the mercenary came.
However, it was a different person from the previous mercenary. He seemed a bit older than the previous one, and it was clear that he had intentionally sent someone else because he looked more composed.
Is he a mercenary captain?
"Will you be going right away?"
"Yes."
Joseph followed the mercenary, leaving the innkeeper who was fidgeting while looking at him behind him.
On the way, he lightly explained what the Roph Merchant Group was.
It was mostly the same content he had heard from the innkeeper, and since he was also a hired mercenary, he didn't know more details.
"The Roph Merchant Group has set up a camp outside the village right now."
Hearing that, it seemed that there was no space in the village for all the group's members to stay.
The place they arrived following him was a small clearing to the west of the village.
Broken house sites were visible around, so it seemed like abandoned land now.
Around an old house that hadn't collapsed yet, ten carriages were lined up, and people who seemed like mercenaries were moving around the area.
What? It's surprisingly large.
To maintain this scale, a lot of money was needed.
And money attracts power, and power makes it easy to find valuable things.
Thinking that far, Joseph unconsciously swallowed.
"Seymo-nim is waiting here."
Following the guide, he entered the old house he had seen from afar.
Then, behind a large table with nothing on it, a person sitting in a similarly large chair came into view.
...... Unexpected.
He had unconsciously expected a fat and mischievous face, but it was the opposite.
He was a man with a thin build similar to Joseph's, with a sharp jawline.
"Oh my, please come in. I've been waiting."
Seymo stood up abruptly when he saw Joseph and greeted him with a smile.
However, his expression was similar to the guards he had met the previous day.
It seemed he was a bit surprised to see Joseph in shabby peasant-like attire.
I'll have to change clothes first when I make money.
In the end, it seemed that the appearance that was visible first was important no matter where you went.
"I'm Seymo, the head of the Roph Merchant Group."
He said that and asked Joseph for a handshake. Joseph took his hand and sat in the chair opposite.
"I'm sorry I couldn't come to greet you personally. The current situation is not good, so I'm distracted."
"No."
Seymo pulled up the corners of his mouth and checked Joseph's eyes. It seemed he was interested in Joseph.
However, separate from that, he seemed to be clearly cautious about Joseph, who was a mage.
Indeed. He can't even think of me comfortably.
From the reactions so far, one could guess how people usually think of ordinary mages.
There must be quite a few crazy mages.
In that case, Joseph should show a conversational, kind mage.
"I heard that you're very busy, so I understand."
From the normal reaction, Seymo's wariness seemed to slightly ease.
Good, from here.
The other party was a merchant. He only knew that Joseph was a mage, and didn't know the details.
The reason he was calling Joseph "mage-nim" was probably because he had sufficient qualifications as a trading partner.
He had called him this far because there was something he wanted.
And Joseph also had something he could demand from him.
Joseph took a small breath and reviewed the plan he had thought the previous day.
...... I'm a clueless village mage.
Joseph intended to use this point to the maximum.