The Mage and the Knight (3)
Christine rubbed the flask with her fingertips. Inside the clear glass, a liquid the color of iron sloshed gently. This attempt at enchantment had failed as well. It was fortunate the mercury hadn’t burst while sealed inside the bottle.
Attempts to inscribe formulas into liquid mediums had existed for quite some time. However, since imbuing liquids with enchantments was hardly regarded as a practical field of study, and even successful outcomes rarely led to any revolutionary breakthroughs, the mages obsessed with tangible results had long since turned their attention elsewhere.
“Will I be able to meet the deadline…”
But one day, a request brought to the Magic Tower by a certain noble completely overturned the situation. The reward money was so staggering that even the haughty mages who claimed to have no interest in money and cared only for the advancement of magic found their eyes spinning.
When the news reached Christine’s ears, she had no choice but to begin her research immediately. She had heard that the orphanage was in dire straits. She wanted to help somehow. Only one week remained.
For three days, without eating or sleeping properly, Christine immersed herself in her research.
“Take it easy, Christine.”
The Magic Tower’s supervising professor set a cup of tea in front of her. Christine barely glanced at the cup before continuing to scratch her pen across the paper. Sheets covered in complex formulas and symbols piled up on the desk one by one.
“Still failing even with mercury?”
The professor picked up the flask with a curious expression. As he tilted it, the mercury clung together stickily and shifted from side to side. Christine scratched at her frizzy golden hair and jabbed the paper irritably with her pen.
“It’s not easy to infuse magic into an unstable fluid medium. The slightest touch makes the formula unstable.”
The professor clicked his tongue and set the flask back down.
“Count Benning really made quite the unreasonable request. He did say it was fine if it didn’t work, but when someone leaves behind that much money, who could possibly refuse?”
In the meantime, Christine seemed to have come up with a new approach. She set her pen down with a clack and picked up the mercury-filled flask once more.
“If I’m a little more careful…”
Christine focused her mind and poured in her mana. The surface of the mercury began to sparkle and glow. She frowned, exerting every effort to anchor her mana inside the mercury.
Fluidity… anchoring?
At that moment, a flash of insight pierced through Christine’s mind and shattered her concentration.
“Christine! The flask is cracking!”
At the professor’s urgent cry, Christine hastily cut off the flow of mana she had been channeling. Just as he said, a fine crack had formed along the body of the flask containing the mercury. Christine broke out in a cold sweat and quickly set the flask down.
“I told you, it would be better to rest. There’s still a week left, so go back for today. If you keep experimenting like this, you look like you’re going to set the Magic Tower on fire.”
The professor tried to dissuade her, saying he wanted no safety accidents, but Christine’s ears no longer registered his voice.
“Christine?”
“Just a moment, Professor.”
Christine rummaged through the stack of papers and pulled out a fresh sheet. On the blank page, she began writing down equations.
“Wasn’t the fundamental idea of injecting a formula into a fluid object and then fixing it wrong from the start?”
A completely new formula was being born at the tip of Christine’s pen. The professor watched the process with a mixture of surprise and skepticism.
“You might be right… But as you know, without anchoring it, a magical formula will inevitably become unstable. Who would trust and use an unstable magical formula that changes in unpredictable ways?”
Christine tore off the end of the paper and inscribed a single, extremely simple character upon it. It was a character that could not be read aloud, one that revealed the formula itself. The ink Christine had scribbled on the paper glowed brightly, then burst into a handful of ash with a sharp pop.
Christine dispersed the smoke with a light wind spell and muttered her theory.
“Even with fluid ink, we can use magic like this.”
“What does that have to do with the research you’re trying to do now?”
Christine picked up another bottle. This time it was a flask filled with clean, clear water.
“Instead of thinking about fixing the formula in the form of mana…”
Christine glanced down at the formula she had written. It had been two days since she last slept, yet her mind had never been clearer.
“I will manipulate the fluidity within the medium itself to carve the formula into it.”
The professor’s eyes widened.
“You mean fixing the flow inside the liquid into the shape of the formula.”
Christine nodded.
“The plan is to give the fluid a collective form and thereby grant it a single identity.”
The professor stroked his chin with interest.
“That would solve the instability upon separation… and it could unexpectedly be applied to other fields as well. Like manufacturing slime familiars, for example.”
Christine ignored the professor’s monologue and focused. The formula she was carving was a simple light-emitting spell. Her mana swirled, and soon the water began to glow faintly.
Christine carefully lifted the flask. The light did not go out. The formula did not change.
Christine stared at the paper on which the formula was fully inscribed and let out a long sigh.
This. This single sheet of paper she now held could save her family.
Christine carefully folded the paper containing the formula and slipped it into her robe. She would spend the remaining week perfecting the enchantment.
One week later, Christine, having completed the formula as scheduled, was receiving the client.
The noble in question was even more famous than the rumors suggested. It was none other than the head of the illustrious Benning family, Count Leon Benning. Of course, as a high-ranking noble, he would not personally come to verify such a trivial request.
Instead, one of Count Benning’s retainers took a seat. Beside Christine sat the Vice Tower Master of the Magic Tower. Christine felt pressure from both sides and wore a visibly uncomfortable expression.
The Count’s retainer exchanged various businesslike words with the Vice Tower Master before turning to Christine.
“Has the method been perfectly completed?”
She could feel the Vice Tower Master’s gaze from the side as well.
“Yes. It is complete. I have found a way to grant and maintain any formula within a fluid… that is, within a liquid.”
Christine handed over several sheets of paper bound together like a thesis. The Count’s retainer merely skimmed through them before handing the documents back to her.
“To be honest, I am a layman when it comes to the contents of the paper, so I have no way of verifying its authenticity. Given His Lordship’s personality, even if I asked the family mages to explain it, he would not be satisfied unless the developer of the enchantment explained it herself.”
The Count’s retainer looked at Christine.
“Mage, His Lordship is currently in the Royal Capital. Would it be possible for you to meet him once and demonstrate the enchantment?”
Christine glanced cautiously at the Vice Tower Master. He nodded without the slightest sign of displeasure.
“Since the formula His Lordship requested was made by our side anyway, I think it would be good for a few mages from the Tower to accompany you and perform the demonstration.”
Christine answered reluctantly that she understood. There were certainly suspicious aspects to both the conversation and the request, but what mattered to Christine right now was not digging into those doubts.
The retainer seemed to read her expression and spread his hands in a reassuring gesture.
“The promised amount will be paid after the demonstration. There is no need to worry.”
That wasn’t what she was worried about, but Christine said nothing. She simply thought of the orphanage, the head nun, and the children’s faces.
It’s okay, Christine. You don’t have to worry about what comes after. Just think about what you need to do.
“Then, would it be all right to escort you to His Lordship’s villa right now? The sooner we handle this, the better.”
The Vice Tower Master nodded in agreement.
“Then we will send Christine along with the mage who created the requested formula. If we complete the enchantment process all at once, it will be handled quickly and efficiently.”
The retainer gave a businesslike smile.
“Excellent. I will have the carriage waiting, so we can depart as soon as you come down.”
With those words, the retainer left. Christine turned from the closing door to look at the Vice Tower Master.
“Vice Tower Master, what do you mean by ‘the formula’?”
The Vice Tower Master shrugged indifferently.
“It’s nothing much. The Benning family placed an order for something. To complete it, that enchantment method and a few formulas were needed, that’s all.”
Christine could not bring herself to ask any further. What exactly the Benning family had ordered, why they had ordered it, and what kind of formula was being granted to that object. It felt like something she should not inquire about.
It’s all for my family. Christine steeled her heart.
“…I’ll head down first.”
With those words, Christine rose from her seat.
Just close your eyes today, take the money, and forget about it.
It was early winter, an unusually chilly day. Christine sat inside a magnificent mansion she had never set foot in before. Awkwardly accepting the tea and refreshments brought by the servants, she faced Count Leon Benning.
Count Leon Benning exuded an oppressive atmosphere from his inorganic gray eyes. There was something about high-ranking military nobles that could intimidate others simply by sitting and observing them. Christine, like anyone else, felt intimidated and could only watch him nervously.
When the Count asked for an explanation, she gave it calmly. When he asked questions, she answered only what was relevant.
“Good. The explanation was sufficient.”
The Count looked at the two other mages who had entered the mansion with Christine. They wore expressions of admiration at her explanation, though some also showed signs of envy.
“Have you understood it sufficiently?”
At the Count’s question, the mages nodded.
“We have. If we refer to the short thesis we brought with us, the two of us should be able to apply the enchantment without issue.”
The Count closed his eyes in satisfaction.
“Very well. Then let us begin the enchantment now.”
At the Count’s gesture, a servant placed a flask on the table. It contained a potion with an unusual reddish glow. The two mages picked up Christine’s thesis and began channeling their mana while examining the flask.
Christine couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight until the Count called her name. She looked up.
“Then I suppose I should give you the promised reward.”
A leather trunk was placed before Christine. When she cautiously opened it, she found several gold bars inside—far more valuable than the promised amount. Christine stared at the trunk, mouth agape, unable to speak.
“My Lord… what is this…”
Count Benning looked at Christine’s bewildered face and put on a kindly smile.
“Take it. The fact that it appears more than the promised reward—consider it my goodwill.”
“How could I possibly…”
Christine hurriedly closed the trunk. Count Benning pushed the closed trunk toward her.
“This is merely goodwill, but if you are willing to complete the Magic Tower’s curriculum and then join our family as a retainer, the Benning family can show you our true sincerity.”
Christine kept her hand on the bag, silent. The Count’s offer certainly came with conditions that were difficult to refuse. Yet the anxiety pricking at the corner of her heart like a needle prevented her from gladly accepting it.
“I…”
Whirr.
The moment Christine opened her mouth to speak, the flask containing the potion began to react violently. The two mages pulled their hands away in alarm.
“What is happening?”
“It seems there was a slight problem during the stabilization process. If you wait, we will take measures…”
Christine looked at the flask. The potion, dark red like human blood, was bubbling and fluctuating wildly. She quickly infused mana into her hand and grasped the flask.
“I will handle it.”
Such a sudden reaction was usually caused by an excess of mana. After examining the enchantment’s state, Christine gradually drew out the mana that was excessively accelerating the fixed fluidity. The smoke that escaped was pitch black.
The moment she made contact with the potion, the sensation and the turbid flow of mana allowed Christine to strongly sense that something was wrong. Although she couldn’t analyze the exact formula, it was clearly not a normal spell like increased recovery. No—in fact, could a structure like this even be called magic?
It was far more primitive, terrifying, and intuitive. Christine knew exactly what to call it.
A curse.
An ancient sin that had long been expelled from the Magic Tower and from the entire magical community. When Christine finally removed her hand from the flask, the potion had already returned to a stable state.
But a great ripple had formed in her pupils.
“It seems to have stabilized. Then has the enchantment been completed?”
Count Leon Benning asked casually, and the two mages nodded in reply. Christine suddenly grabbed one of their arms.
“That thing…!”
The mage quickly shook his head.
“I don’t know what it is. We just… did what the Tower Master ordered…!”
“How could you not know…!”
Christine’s voice rose in outrage. She had long forgotten whose presence she stood before.
“Why do you still know how to use something like that? Why on earth would you do such a thing to a potion that’s supposed to heal someone?”
“Christine! Lower your voice and calm down. This isn’t the Magic Tower…!”
The mage tried to restrain the furious Christine. She could feel Count Leon Benning’s gaze upon her.
“There are things in this world that cannot be helped, Christine Watson. You know that better than anyone.”
Count Benning’s words weighed heavily on Christine’s shoulders. She gathered mana into her hand. Even if it meant being arrested, she would destroy that potion right now—
Sring.
The Benning family’s escort knights drew their swords. A sharp, spine-chilling killing intent pierced Christine. Count Leon Benning gave them an annoyed look and ordered them to lower their weapons. The expression he turned back to Christine had once again regained perfect composure.
“My guards acted unnecessarily. My apologies.”
“You don’t think that destroying this potion would prevent me from obtaining another one, do you?”
Christine’s hand trembled. The Count’s chiding tone stabbed into her chest like a dagger.
“If I had known it involved using a curse, I would never have taken on this task…!”
“And the orphanage that raised you would have continued to struggle under debt and financial hardship.”
Christine’s eyes shook. The Count practically shoved the leather trunk into her arms and patted the bag.
“Don’t lose the opportunity you’ve gained by doing something foolish.”
“The offer to join our family as a retainer after completing the Magic Tower’s curriculum still stands.”
“That will never happen.”
Christine bit her lip hard.
“…Very well. Consider that money as goodwill and take it with you.”
She wanted to throw it away, but she couldn’t leave it behind. Christine clenched her hand with a humiliated expression. The trunk in her grip trembled along with her.
With eyes like a storm had swept through them, Christine glared at the two accompanying mages. One looked at her as if he couldn’t understand her, while the other avoided her gaze entirely.
Christine twisted her face, turned around, and left the mansion. She could feel the Count’s gaze boring into her back.
She had sinned. She had sinned against someone whose face she didn’t know, whose name she didn’t know. Christine’s steps faltered.
Where should she go? Carriages blurred past her vision. Christine stood motionless in the middle of the Royal Capital’s main avenue, holding a trunk full of gold bars. The early winter wind felt exceptionally cold.
It was the very next day that she fled the Magic Tower.