The Magic School's First Recruits
Selin did not immediately launch into aggressive promotion after hearing what Alpha expected of her. "This is ga, na, da, ra, ma, ba, sa." "Ga-na-da-ra-ma-ba-sa." She was willing to do anything for him, yet she knew reckless advertising would only invite disaster later. Just as she had spoken about wool during their idle chatter, promotion worked best when one had personally used or experienced the thing in question. Otherwise, trouble was bound to arise. That was why Selin had come to the magic school today with her son in tow.
The teachers who treated both her and her son with such kindness—one was the daughter of the lord who ruled Bicken, while the other two were countesses' daughters whose rank supposedly surpassed even that lord's. Fortunately, the countesses' daughters had not started from the very basics of teaching letters.
"Ga… na… da… I don't know. Jang… it's hard!" "Shall we try writing it slowly together?"
Selin had felt a trace of fear toward Baron Wellington, who always stormed into the slums to commit violence whenever he went on territorial patrols, but that worry proved unfounded. Ertia taught both her and her son the alphabet with remarkable patience. 'As expected…!' Thinking that this was precisely why the woman worked alongside Lord Alpha, Selin began learning the letters at a steady pace. She assumed the other two ladies would prove equally gentle in temperament and focused on her studies. Once she could read and write, Alpha had said, she would be able to live a better life.
"Is this how it's written?" "Yes. You learn quickly." "Th-thank you…"
Believing Alpha's words to be absolute truth, Selin attended the magic school for several days, studying diligently again and again.
*
Time passed, and once Selin had grown somewhat accustomed to reading and writing, she began recommending the magic school to others. "You really think the magic school is that good?" "They even give out bread before class starts, you know." "Really?" "Is that true?"
No matter how Selin explained how learning at the magic school would benefit their futures, the people showed no interest. For those treated worse than commoners, the future itself was a luxury. Even if someone possessed outstanding talent, there was no guarantee that nobles would secure their future. Selin herself would never have believed it had Alpha not told her. What mattered to these people was a single meal. Selin focused her pitch on that point.
The magic school had not withheld bread on its opening day. Helen and Elisa had prepared dinner at their own expense so that people could attend class immediately after work without returning home first. Yet that measure had been intended solely to shorten travel time and produce mages as quickly as possible. Therefore, the two women had never mentioned the bread while promoting the school. To nobles like them, learning something was far more important than a single loaf of bread that commoners ate. But now Selin was highlighting the part that mattered most to people of her own low status, successfully sparking their interest.
"But will it really be all right, learning from noble young ladies…?"
Even with the promise of free dinner, the thought of being taught by nobles was frightening. Especially when one of them was the daughter of Baron Wellington, who punished slum dwellers and commoners alike whenever his mood soured during inspections. Even setting aside the two countesses' daughters, the prospect remained terrifying.
"Yes. I've been attending for several days now, and they teach very kindly. Perhaps they take after the late lady rather than the lord?" "R-really?"
Yet when Selin shared her firsthand experience of visiting the school multiple times, people gradually grew interested. Those who had recently seen her reading and writing accepted her words without question. After all, she was always careful never to speak of things she had not personally done or witnessed.
"What about the other two? The countesses' daughters who outrank the baron?" "Hmm. The young ladies teaching magic might still be a little frightening. You know how… the mages who used to work here were rather eccentric. I haven't actually studied under those two yet, so…" "Th-that's true."
When questions about Elisa and Helen arose, Selin had no choice but to dodge the issue. After all, the two of them really were somewhat eccentric, fitting for mages.
"Huff, huff. Now… if you read this, it becomes 'I went for a walk,' not 'I took a walk.' Ah, do you understand?" "Ahaha! Can't even read this? If you fail to learn magic here, what will become of me? Just imagining it is thrilling, isn't it?"
On days when Ertia was on duty, Elisa and Helen took over teaching. Elisa was furious at the very fact that she was instructing commoners, while Helen seethed at the thought of being subjected to neglect play because of their mistakes. Of course, both women only flushed red and trembled with barely suppressed rage, yet they could not actually harm Selin. Lay a hand on the territory's sole magic aspirant? They would be cast aside by Alpha and left needing ropes to get through life.
'I can't say anything.' She could not honestly describe how frightening those two had been in their eccentricity. They had not inflicted physical pain, but the knowledge that they could do so at any moment made their strange behavior terrifying.
"Oh my. Does learning magic make everyone that eccentric?" "It seems so."
Mages were famous for their eccentricity. Their pride and self-importance soared to the heavens because they believed themselves to be the ones uncovering the world's secrets. Of course, they were also excellent at gauging their own level, bowing deeply to nobles when their own standing was low.
"Maybe I should go too…" "Bread…"
Even so, if it meant securing one meal, it might be worth it. The promise of dinner made people think that visiting the magic school at least once would not be so bad. After all, once the day's work ended and they returned home, there was nothing left to do. Too poor to afford mana lamps or even candles, they could hardly work beneath the dark night sky. Murmurs filled the air.
Thus the magic school became packed. Forty students stood before Ertia. Many had come, but only these had been accepted after the rest were turned away. Too many students would only make teaching more difficult. Of course, since Helen and Elisa were in charge of magic instruction, only Selin was currently receiving lessons from them.
"Now then, shall we try together? Ga-na-da-ra-ma-ba-sa." "Ga-na-da-ra-ma-ba-sa."
Ertia wrote each letter on the blackboard and kindly explained the sounds they made. Surprisingly, she did not look down on commoners and taught with genuine warmth. Having been only a baron's daughter whose succession was uncertain because of her brother, her sense of noble superiority had always been weaker than Helen's or Elisa's. Of course, had she not received Alpha's thorough education, she too would have behaved just like them.
*
Everything was going splendidly. The environmental beautification project was progressing smoothly; stepping outside no longer meant sinking into muddy filth but feeling solid ground beneath one's boots. The process of cultivating mages was also proceeding very well. Because the number of available instructors was limited, they had prioritized those missing arms or legs for education, resulting in a rapid increase in people who could read and write. The magic classrooms run by Elisa and Helen were now filled to capacity as well. If things had continued this way, everything would have been perfect.
"The streets are clean, so why are you still employing those ignorant commoners?" "We still have sufficient funds. We must continue employing them to maintain and repair the streets going forward, my lord."
The problem was Baron Wellington. The jealous beta male who attacked Alpha at every opportunity. Once again, he was nitpicking Alpha's work. Now that the streets were clean, the plague would soon leave the city. With such clear achievements, Alpha voiced his opinion confidently.
"…." "No, from now on the finance department will manage all business funds earned from soap sales." "Pardon? My lord, maintaining and repairing the streets continuously will greatly benefit the city…" "Enough! How dare you presume to lecture me?"
Melania showed no reaction. 'Tsk.' Alpha had never expected the dragon to side with him forever, but of all times, now? Developing the territory was merely an amusing diversion for dragons. That was why they rarely participated actively in meetings unless they genuinely believed the territory was in crisis. Now that Alpha's results had been so outstanding—solving the territory's financial problems and showing signs of resolving the plague issue—Melania seemed to have grown too bored to interfere further.
"Understood." For now, Alpha bowed his head to Wellington's words. Having produced results, the man would not attack him immediately, but if this situation continued with Melania sitting on the throne watching them with idle eyes… it would not be long before trouble arrived.
'I need to kill Wellington.' Alpha decided to strike first. Soon, the true ruler of the territory would be Ertia Bicken.