The Vicken Duchy (2)
The mages who had left the Vicken Duchy had already crossed over into the Kerens Territory. They were drinking with the local mages there, building camaraderie and letting loose.
“Hahaha! Look at how much we mages did for them!”
“Exactly. If they doubled our salaries and pretended they couldn’t win without us, we might even consider going back.”
“These lords really have no idea how hard we work!”
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but these mages—who were barely 1st or 2nd Circle—were acting incredibly arrogant. Considering their dignity as mages and the fact that they had come from their rival territory, Lord Hern of Kerens had accepted them all. Even though his own lands were rotting away in real time because of it.
First of all, mages were expensive to maintain. In wartime, nothing could match their firepower, but in peacetime they were utterly useless. At best, they taught the children of nobles or wealthy commoners. And even that wasn’t part of their official duties—they only did it as a side gig when they needed extra money.
Such mages were nothing short of fatal to the Kerens Territory, whose finances were already in dire straits. Unlike the soldiers and knights who occasionally earned more than their upkeep by hunting monsters under the guise of training, these mages refused to lift a finger. They claimed that catching low-grade monsters would tarnish their noble status as mages.
In truth, most mage towers actually forbade their members from subjugating C-rank or lower monsters, so it wasn’t entirely without justification.
“That’s right! How much have we mages done for them? We managed the mana stone-powered goods, taught the kids how to read and write, even wrote recommendation letters for the towers. We did everything!”
“Exactly! Exactly!”
“Hey, Hicks. Why don’t you go take a look? See just how badly the Vicken Duchy has fallen apart.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Hahaha! Aren’t you working your disciple too hard? I bet the lord’s castle is full of mana stone devices that don’t even work anymore! Gahaha!”
The mages, thoroughly drunk, kept laughing and slapping Hicks on the shoulder as if wishing him a hard time. And so Hicks returned to the Vicken Duchy.
He had no complaints about his master’s order. They had given him more than enough travel expenses to make it worthwhile, so he was happy to take a quick look at his old workplace.
“Halt.”
“It’s Mage Hicks. I haven’t been gone that long—don’t you even remember my face?”
Annoyed by the guards blocking the city entrance, Hicks lifted his identification card with clear displeasure.
“Huk! M-Mage, sir… I-I’m sorry!”
“Tsk. Be more careful next time.”
To ordinary soldiers, a mage was an object of pure terror. Most mages were nobles, after all. They could kill a mere commoner soldier on a whim and often face no punishment whatsoever.
Even though many nobles had recently been imprisoned, that had only happened because of direct orders from Duchess Ertia. Normally, commoners trembled before nobles like this.
“Hmph. Where should I start checking?”
Once inside the city, Hicks looked around with a dark, sinister smile. He could already picture the territory falling apart without them. He even imagined that arrogant Alpha kneeling and begging for forgiveness. With that pleasant thought, he began walking.
His destination was the Osu Treatment Plant. The facility that gathered the filth commoners dumped on the streets and turned it into clean, drinkable water. Among all the projects Alpha was pushing, this was one that absolutely required mages. It would be the perfect first stop to see just how ruined the city had become.
“Clean!”
Chanting?
Upon arriving at the treatment plant, Hicks stopped in his tracks as he sensed a wave of mana. It was only 1st Circle magic, but it had definitely been cast properly.
Where did they find mages…?
He and the others had already spread the word about the terrible treatment they had received from the Five Great Towers and the smaller ones. Thanks to that, the Vicken Duchy had been placed under sanctions. The tower masters had personally declared that no affiliated mage would work here for the next twenty years.
To mages belonging to a tower, the tower master’s word was absolute. There shouldn’t be any mages willing to defy that and come work in Vicken…
With that thought in mind, Hicks tried to enter the building.
“You can’t come in here!”
“What the hell, you big oaf. Move.”
But the one blocking him was Jean. Thanks to his strength and massive build, Jean was intimidating enough to most people. He had stopped carrying waste buckets and was now standing guard. There was no special technique to processing sewage, but they still couldn’t let just anyone wander in.
“You can’t!”
“Hey! Don’t you remember me?”
“You can’t! Show employee ID!”
“This bastard…! Ice Arrow!”
Hicks channeled mana into his hand.
“M-Magic! A mage is invading!”
Jean shouted at the top of his lungs.
“That’s right, it’s a mage, you idiot. Are you awake now?”
Hicks smirked, holding the sharp ice arrow that had formed above his palm. He had wanted to kill these idiots more than once while working with them. The only reason he hadn’t was because he had received a large sum of money with the warning not to kill anyone. But now? Killing a rude bastard like this who dared stand in his way wouldn’t cause any problems. No one would care if one or two of these bottom-tier slum dwellers died.
Hicks flicked his finger, sending the ice arrow flying straight at Jean’s head.
“Die!”
“Shield!!”
But a translucent barrier appeared and protected Jean.
“What the—? How do you have a magic tool?”
“Intruder! Intruder!”
“Is that all you can say, you bastard! Ice Arrow!”
The chant began again, and multiple ice arrows started forming above Hicks’ hand this time.
“What’s going on?! Son!”
“M-Mom! Mage intruder! A mage!!”
At that moment, the door Jean had been guarding burst open, and a woman with flowing blue hair appeared. It was Jean’s mother, Selin.
“Sir Hicks? I don’t know why you’ve suddenly come here, but you cannot enter this facility without following proper procedure!”
“Uh… uh… uhh…”
When Selin appeared and shouted, Hicks forgot to even launch the ice arrows. His mouth simply hung open.
3-3rd Circle…?!
Hicks had only just reached 2nd Circle after a lifetime of effort. At his age, he might have reached 3rd Circle in another five years or so. Considering his master was over seventy and still only 2nd Circle, the odds hadn’t been that high. But… Selin, who had been nothing more than an ordinary woman, had reached 3rd Circle in just the few months he had been gone?! This was impossible.
This can’t be! This can’t be! This can’t be happening!!
“I… This is Hicks, sunbae-nim…”
“…? Sir Hicks? W-Why are you suddenly…”
Even though he was screaming inside that this was impossible, Hicks bowed his head according to mage etiquette. Higher Circle meant senior. Selin, who had no idea about any of this, simply fidgeted anxiously, not understanding how high a realm she had reached, until the guards arrived.
“Ahem… It has been approved for Mage Hicks to tour the Osu Treatment Plant.”
A knight who had been dispatched instead of the guards—after hearing that a mage had caused trouble—granted Hicks entry permission. Having recently been promoted from apprentice to full knight to replace those purged, the knight was extremely cautious in how he treated a mage. Most of the noble apprentices had been purged, so the ones who had become full knights were inevitably commoners who had challenged for knighthood from the bottom up.
“Yes… Thank you.”
Even though he knew the other man was a commoner knight, Hicks didn’t dare act arrogantly. It was because of the way Selin was staring at him with a heavy gaze.
After he and the other mages had left the Vicken Duchy… No, from what he had heard, the magic school had already been operating even while they were still here. Apparently Alpha had created it the very next day after kicking the mages out. Hicks and the others simply hadn’t paid any attention, so they hadn’t known.
“By the way, why have you returned, Sir Hicks?”
“Ah… well, it’s just…”
Hicks mumbled vaguely, but after only a short conversation, Selin seemed to understand roughly why he had come.
“This is the newly renovated purification facility.”
“Clean! Clean! Clean!”
“Huh…?”
He had sensed through the flow of mana that someone was using magic, but Hicks had never imagined so many people would be casting at once. The shock was inevitable.
Magic is a law of the world that only the chosen can use…!
Hicks felt as if his entire world was collapsing.
— You have talent.
⟨ Childhood Memory ⟩
As the son of a noble, Hicks had never known hunger. Naturally, he had believed he was one of the chosen. But now, watching countless lower-class insects who had once seemed like bugs learn even 1st Circle magic, he realized just how insignificant everything he had learned until now truly was.