Research in Valois Castle
“Research lab…… is it?”
Folmers nodded at Joseph’s question.
“That’s right. I’ve acquired a new grimoire, and it would be good to have a place to study it, wouldn’t it?”
At those words, Joseph’s face instantly stiffened.
He immediately understood why Folmers had said that.
'He wants to keep me here.'
It was, after all, only natural.
Joseph was a mage who had successfully exterminated the monsters blocking the northern supply route in just a few days, without a single casualty.
Moreover, he had transported the fragmented monsters in a cart through the castle, so by now, there was no one in Valois Castle who didn’t know about Joseph.
On the contrary, Valois Castle was currently facing numerous problems due to the war. As the steward managing Valois Castle, Folmers would never want to let Joseph go.
That was why Folmers had proposed the thing that Joseph would need most right now.
'Accommodation and research support… It’s quite an attractive offer.'
How many times had he been able to focus on magic research comfortably from Bari Village until now?
The village chief exploited him like a slave, there were no proper grimoires, and every time he left the village, he nearly died.
For Joseph who had gone through all that, this was the first time he had the opportunity to research magic as he wished.
If he received the grimoire and immediately left the castle to return to wandering?
How many more opportunities would there be to research magic without worries like this?
'Honestly, if it were up to me, I would have had a hard time refusing…'
But Joseph could not nod to that proposal.
It was an adventure to live in a castle during wartime.
After all, Joseph had only intended to obtain the grimoire necessary for this castle, and he had never thought of directly facing a noble like this.
Already, being entangled with the nobles of a warring territory was outside his calculations, and he didn’t want to add more risk here.
“I appreciate the offer. However, it seems I’ve already received sufficient compensation for the extermination.”
Joseph cautiously expressed his refusal to Folmers.
He let out a groan at Joseph’s answer, then sighed.
Then, hesitantly, he slowly opened his mouth.
“……I know what worries you are having.”
“……”
His voice sounded quite strained, as if recalling a troublesome matter, unlike a moment ago.
“As you know, we are currently at war with Count Poner from the north. If I stay here, I worry that I might be swept up in the war, right?”
He closed his eyes once and let out a small sigh.
Then, looking at Joseph, he said,
“I’ll be honest. For a while, while staying here, would you help me solve the problems of the territory that are unrelated to the war?”
“……”
At Folmers' direct attitude, Joseph was momentarily at a loss for words, so Folmers continued immediately.
“The residents of this territory are suffering from the long war. I am trying to solve it somehow, but most of the castle’s soldiers are on the frontlines… That is why I am requesting this. Please help me.”
Folmers looked pitiful.
And Joseph, watching Folmers' reaction, was secretly surprised.
'A noble is openly asking for help…'
Joseph didn’t know much about the nobles of this world.
However, he understood that it was never common for nobles to request help from commoners.
No matter how much of a mage Joseph was.
The nobles of this world were the kind of people who, if their honor was stained by a trivial dispute, could bring out many soldiers.
Moreover, Viscount Folmers was the cousin of Count Valois.
Currently, he was requesting help from Count Valois on behalf of the territory’s residents.
'There are such people.'
Joseph, from his previous life and this life, had seen power-hungry people who only cared about their own interests.
It was surprising to see someone who actually tried to practice noblesse oblige.
'But even so, this isn’t enough.'
“……If Count Valois returns and sends me to the battlefield, what then?”
Putting aside Folmers' personality, this was only Viscount's opinion.
When Count Valois returned and changed his mind, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
“Count Valois' thoughts… Honestly, I can’t give a definite answer. However, if it really comes to that, I will ensure that you can leave the castle by borrowing the strength of others.”
“Borrowing the strength of others……?”
At Joseph’s question, Folmers nodded.
“You have built a relationship with the Church, haven’t you?”
“……Yes.”
“Before the extermination, I heard that you stayed at the Church. And that you helped Priest Rekor gather herbs.”
Upon hearing that, it seemed Folmers had known Rekor before.
'He seems close with the Church too.'
A noble who stakes his honor for the residents. If he dislikes the Church, the Church can’t dislike him.
“If I receive the priest’s help, it will be easy to leave the castle. The Silimaf Order has a great influence beyond our territory. No matter how much Count Valois is, he can’t draw his sword against the Church.”
“……Oh.”
Joseph let out a dry laugh at his words.
After all, Joseph had also thought about receiving the Church’s help in dangerous situations.
But he hadn’t expected to hear it directly from the viscount’s mouth.
'This person seems more flexible than I thought.'
Folmers, noticing Joseph’s expression as he was inwardly admiring, asked again.
“I’ll ask once more. I will promise sufficient compensation. Will you stay in the castle for a while and help me?”
***
“Should I place the hearth in the center?”
Valois Castle.
Joseph was filling the items needed for the research lab with Folmers' help.
“Yes, please place it in the center.”
Joseph agreed to Folmers' proposal and decided to stay in the castle for a while.
The proposal to provide an environment for free research was attractive.
Moreover, he had received a promise that he could leave the castle through the Church in the worst case, so there was no need to refuse anymore.
The room and research lab prepared by Folmers were far better than expected.
There were no holes in the walls, and no rotting straw ceiling. The soft bedding even emitted a faint fragrance.
When mealtime came, the servant brought it to the research lab, and even if not mealtime, if he just said it, he would bring something to eat.
In a way, it was close to the ideal life Joseph had wanted.
“So, what kind of work will I be doing?”
Joseph asked Folmers, who was standing beside him, while watching the servant carrying dry firewood.
“It won’t be any harder than before. Things like hunting bandits or weak monsters. I’ll tell you more later, so for now, you can just research and live here.”
When the rare ice-stored cold artifact he had requested for training arrived, Folmers said,
“For now, I had it made similar to Zalier Mage’s research lab. Since I don’t know much about magic, if you need anything, just tell the servant.”
“Understood. Thanks to this, I’ll be able to live comfortably.”
Folmers nodded and left the research lab.
Joseph circled the research lab once and sat on the sofa, then immediately opened the grimoire.
“I hope there’s something decent this time……”
Joseph’s eyes slowly began to scan the pages.
***
- All things in the world have their own mana.
- ……Attribute magic requires training to accumulate and stack the unique mana within the body.
- ……Fire magic requires absorbing the mana possessed by pure fire and accumulating it in the body to be usable, and the more appropriately one uses it, the more one will be able to use fire magic as if it were one’s own hand.
“Oh…… It’s quite proper.”
Joseph admired the fire magic book.
Unlike the vague grimoires he had obtained before, the fire magic book was written from the basics of attribute magic.
Probably a book for those who had just started learning magic.
The contents he had figured out through self-study with unknown grimoires were written very kindly.
'If I had gotten this grimoire from the beginning, I wouldn’t have suffered.'
Joseph recalled the day he first read the cheap grimoire from the village chief.
Thinking about it now, it was a crude item that didn’t even properly contain the basics.
- According to the instructions of Archmage Schlun…….
Of course, the author’s self-praise was written the same way.
Even so, if even this content was missing, it seemed like there would be nothing more to do.
While reading the grimoire all the way through.
- The most basic of fire magic, ‘Fire’, all mages will acknowledge. It fuses the accumulated fire mana in the body with ordinary mana to create a magic core. By gathering this core at the fingertips and chanting the spell, it creates flames.
The basics of fire magic.
The description of the magic Joseph had learned first, ‘Fire’, was written.
“……”
The most basic content, which he didn’t need to read now.
But there was a slight catch in the content.
'Magic core? Igniting fire at the fingertips?'
The way magic was used in the book was different from the way Joseph used it.
Joseph formed mana orbs outside his body and used them to cast magic.
But this book didn’t mention that at all, as if it were obvious.
'It seems Rekor’s words were correct.'
Before coming to the castle, Joseph had met the mysterious old mage Rekor.
He had been interested in Joseph, calling him an ‘unusual mage’.
And that Joseph’s way of using mana orbs was something ordinary mages couldn’t imitate.
'If I follow this book, could I use it normally?'
Joseph immediately circulated the mana in his body.
And he fused the fire mana he had accumulated little by little so far with ordinary mana and gathered it at his fingertips to create a ‘magic core’.
No, he tried to create it.
“……”
Joseph’s mana in his body only flowed according to his will, and there was no movement like fusing two manas.
Joseph’s brows furrowed slightly.
“Fire.”
Just in case, he chanted the spell softly, but no flame appeared at his fingertips.
Then, Joseph created one mana orb. Inside the mana orb, the fire mana and ordinary mana were mixed as Joseph intended.
“Fire.”
And when he chanted, the mana orb immediately changed into flames and burned.
“As expected……”
Joseph seemed unable to use magic by fusing mana inside his body.
- It seems you have no talent in that direction.
It felt like Rekor’s mockery.
'If other magic appears in the book, I’ll have to convert everything to mana orbs and understand it. And……'
Joseph checked the contents written in the book from earlier.
- It should be noted that the speed and duration of magic activation will differ depending on the ‘appropriate’ ratio of fusion between fire mana and ordinary mana.
- However, the power of the magic does not change even if the fire mana is increased. This is because it is the limit inherent in that magic itself.
Joseph raised a mana orb in the air again.
“Fire.”
The mana orb ignited flames once more.
However, the speed was much faster than before, and it felt easier to use the magic.
“Oh……”
Adjusting the fusion ratio of magic was a content Joseph hadn’t thought of, who had learned magic in a fist-fighting manner so far.
“Haha……”
Joseph changed the mana ratio back and forth for a while and used Fire repeatedly.
And Joseph’s face, watching it, didn’t lose its smile.
I never thought I would be able to use magic this easily.
It felt like taking a big step toward the goal of becoming a mage in the hellish life and succeeding.
