Bring Me That Mage
Sunlight spilled warmly through a gap in the window. In that light, motes of dust drifted lazily this way and that.
Folmers lifted his gaze from the documents and looked outside. Somewhere, the fragrant smell of bread was drifting in — the servants must have been sitting down to a late lunch.
Peaceful.
The thought flickered through Viscount Folmers's mind as he sat processing paperwork in his study. If only it truly were...
Administering the territory in Count Valois's stead, Folmers looked down at the papers strewn across his desk and let out a sigh. Unlike the castle's seemingly peaceful appearance, the actual situation was anything but.
The war between Count Valois and Count Poner had dragged on far too long. Years of fighting had spawned countless problems throughout the count's lands — bandit gangs ran rampant, disease spread unchecked, and the peasants languished in hunger.
Worst of all, a massive demonic beast had recently appeared along the northern pass, blocking the supply route to the battlefield. The creature was said to dwarf a bear, possessed of a monstrous strength that could punch through steel armor as if it were nothing.
A Subjugation Decree had been issued, but with manpower already stretched thin by the war, resolving the matter was no simple task.
If only the war could be stopped...
It was a realistically impossible wish. The long-standing feud between the two counts showed no sign of easy resolution.
Years ago, Count Valois's son had been murdered by bandits in Von Ehr County. Naturally, Count Poner had refused to acknowledge any responsibility, and the affair had escalated all the way to war.
On top of that, the Fire Mage Count Poner had hired made the military situation even more dire. According to reports, that mage summoned rains of fire from the sky and split the earth to spew pillars of flame. Even Count Valois's knights struggled to face such power — the war would not be ending anytime soon.
A cautious knock sounded at the door as Folmers let out a small sigh.
"What is it?"
"Baron Danoa has come to visit. What shall we do?"
"Baron Danoa...?"
Folmers tilted his head for a moment.
"Yes — Baron Ogier de Danoa, he says."
Danoa...?
Folmers traced back through his memory and soon recalled who Ogier was. Some ten-odd years ago, Count Valois had granted a title to a landowner who administered the southern reaches of the territory. The region that landowner had received was, without a doubt, the Danoa Region. It was such a remote backwater that Folmers's recollection of it was hazy at best.
And he's come all this way? For what?
Folmers spoke with a puzzled look.
"Show him in."
Folmers headed straight for the reception room. A short while later, a man in armor entered. It was, as expected, a face Folmers had never seen. He had never even met the man's father except on the day Count Valois conferred the title — so of course he wouldn't recognize the son.
Ogier offered Folmers a courteous greeting.
"I am Ogier de Danoa, who has succeeded the late Baron Danoa in governing Danoa Territory. I present my respects to you, Viscount."
"Welcome. A descendant of the Danoa family — how delightful. What business brings you such a long way?"
Ogier stated his purpose at once.
"Viscount, I have come hoping that even this modest person might be of some small service. Word reached me that a Subjugation Decree has been issued in the county."
Folmers's eyes widened at his words.
"You wish to take part in the subjugation? You, Baron Danoa?"
He had been wracking his brains over the shortage of manpower as it was. The proposal of a man who had come in person, offering to fight a demonic beast, was a welcome one. But the joy was short-lived. Folmers's expression gradually hardened as he studied Ogier's armor with a careful eye.
The armor gleamed as if brand-new, seeming almost to advertise its wearer's lack of experience. Having encountered many knights at Valois Castle, Folmers could tell.
"Have you ever seen a demonic beast, Baron?"
Folmers chose his words carefully. Ogier answered with a look of overflowing confidence.
"Not yet. But I have heard a great many stories."
"And the troops you have brought with you? How many?"
"About twelve young soldiers, full of spirit. In courage, they yield to no one."
Folmers nearly laughed aloud inside. Twelve inexperienced soldiers.
He regarded the man once more. The courage was admirable, certainly — he had, after all, come leading his own men. But Ogier seemed to have no practical knowledge of demonic beasts whatsoever. ...I suppose that's only natural, having spent his days in comfort out in the countryside.
More soldiers were always welcome, but Folmers could not imagine this knight and his private soldiers as battle-hardened warriors capable of prevailing against a demonic beast. In truth, they were a ragtag bunch who probably couldn't even hunt a few wild boars properly. Send them against a real demonic beast and they'd die like dogs...
Folmers pondered a moment, sighing inwardly. Demonic beasts were creatures of an entirely different order from ordinary animals. Even a moderately dangerous one required dozens of trained soldiers to take down. Even a knight skilled in combat could never guarantee victory in a one-on-one fight against such a thing.
And yet I can hardly refuse him outright...
This was a man who had ridden a long way for the sake of Valois County. To turn him away here would be discourteous. After a brief deliberation, Folmers smiled and spoke.
"I am grateful that you would offer your aid. However, a demonic beast subjugation is a rather perilous affair. What would you say to remaining at the castle for a time and training alongside our soldiers?"
Ogier accepted the proposal without the slightest hesitation.
"You have my thanks. I shall subjugate the demonic beast splendidly and prove myself of use!"
Folmers nodded, but his heart remained heavy. Ogier's enthusiasm was appreciated, yet no matter how he looked at it, he could not realistically expect the man to be of much help. I'll think about it later.
"How was the journey? You must be quite exhausted from riding such a long way."
Folmers smoothly changed the subject.
"Haha, not at all. It was quite enjoyable, actually. I met a mage along the way — a truly precious experience."
Folmers froze for an instant.
Had this country knight just said what he thought he'd said?
"...A mage, you say?"
"Yes. I encountered a mage who appeared to be a wanderer. He even sparred with my soldiers — and not once did we win. A truly remarkable young man."
Color rushed into Folmers's face. His mind reeled at the sudden information, and before he knew it, his voice had risen.
"Th-that mage — where is he now?!"
"Pardon?"
Ogier blinked, round-eyed. Folmers bellowed.
"That mage! Where did he go?!"
"W-we only parted a short while ago, so he should still be in this city."
Ogier stammered, bewildered, with no idea what was happening. Folmers shot to his feet and seized Ogier by the shoulders, shaking him.
"Y-yes! I'll find him right away!"
Startled by Folmers's agitation, Ogier hurriedly took his leave.
A mage! A mage, in times as chaotic as these!
Folmers made no effort to hide his excitement.
Upon arriving at the inn, Joseph immediately wrapped the gem portion of his staff in the robe he was wearing.
The staff itself is one thing, but that gem is far too conspicuous...
He had no intention of concealing that he was a mage at all costs. By now, Joseph knew well enough from experience that a mage stood out wherever he went. But that and the gem mounted on his staff were separate matters. He had no intention of parading a jewel around like an idiot in a city this large.
Joseph wrapped it as thoroughly as he could, making it look like an ordinary wooden staff decorated with cloth. Travelers covering long distances and priests commonly carried staves, so as long as the gem was hidden, it wouldn't look out of place.
Let's get a feel for the city's atmosphere. A little investigation first.
Joseph had no idea what living as a mage at Valois Castle would actually be like. First he needed to know whether he could even obtain spellbooks here. He recalled the cheap magic book the village chief had first handed him.
If you can buy one off a rural peddler, a general store ought to have at least one.
With that thought, Joseph slipped out of the inn and headed straight for the shopping district. I'll check the prices of any decent spellbooks, and if I need more money, I'll find work.
But Joseph's expectations were thoroughly dashed.
After asking passersby, he finally managed to find a general store — only to discover that none of the spellbooks were proper ones. Most were closer to research treatises than actual books of magic, and the few that even resembled spellbooks were so old their contents were nearly impossible to make out.
"Is this really all you have?"
He asked the merchant, who answered with indifference.
"Well, I don't know what sort of thing you're looking for, but anything better than that, you'd have to go to a library."
"A library?"
"That's right. There's a library in the castle. You'll find somewhat more decent spellbooks there. But it's not a place just anyone can walk into — you'll need to get permission at the castle gates."
Joseph's gaze turned toward the inner fortress. I have to go all the way to the castle?
Joseph sighed. He hadn't expected things to go smoothly, but he hadn't thought he'd need to go as far as a noble's castle.
"How does one go about getting that permission?"
"How should I know? Why don't you ask the guards?"
The merchant shrugged. Whether he genuinely didn't know or simply didn't feel like answering, Joseph wasn't going to get the reply he wanted either way.
"Not that it's any of my business, but you'd best wake up from that dream."
"Excuse me?"
"Reading a spellbook doesn't make you a mage."
Joseph burst out laughing. Apparently he'd come across as a young man with fanciful dreams of becoming a mage.
In any case, there seemed to be no other option, so he eventually set off toward the inner fortress.
If I'd known it would come to this, I should've just gone with Ogier.
The man had looked disappointed to see Joseph go. Had he followed along, he might have walked into the library without all this trouble. Then again, he probably would've asked me to join the demonic beast subjugation.
As he approached the entrance to the inner fortress, he saw the great gates standing firmly shut, with guards posted before them. When Joseph drew near, one of the guards swept a sharp gaze over him.
"What's your business?"
The voice was cold and rigid.
"I'd like to enter the library. I've come to obtain permission."
The guard looked Joseph up and down, then said,
"The library is not a place just anyone can enter."
"I'm aware. That's why I've come to request permission."
Joseph flinched momentarily at the guard's stiff manner, then shook it off. Come to think of it, that level of wariness was only natural for a castle guard. But the words that followed were enough to catch even Joseph off guard.
"We don't grant that permission to outsiders."