Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Enlightenment, and Growth (3)
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Mana Trading Studies professor, Rosel van Trias.
He sat in his office, sipping coffee with a faint smile. If another professor or student saw him like this, they would have been shocked.
'Professor Rosel is smiling!'
They would have made a huge fuss saying things like that. After all, it didn't match his usual demeanor at all.
Rosel was always sharp and never showed his emotions. When a professor like that smiled even a little, there was usually only one reason.
'She's really putting in the effort.'
Rosel's gaze turned to his disciple, who was busily moving her hands in one corner of the office. She had been sitting there for hours, writing something.
'It's been a while since I've seen her this fired up.'
It was a sight he had seen often up until five years ago.
But this was a first from his disciple who had returned after five years. Old memories flooded back, and Rosel sipped his coffee with a smile.
"Missed this."
Raniel looked up at Rosel's murmur. She tilted her head, looking at him.
"Pardon? What did you say?"
"Hm, nothing. Looks like I interrupted your focus. Sorry about that."
"It's almost done anyway, so it's fine."
Want to take a look?
Raniel asked, and Rosel moved toward his disciple's spot.
The Mana Trading Studies professor's office was spacious, but only Raniel and Rosel used this large room. Because of that, they had removed the partitions and joined the desks into a long one.
Among the neatly organized documents on the table, Rosel picked up the one labeled "Lesson Plan."
"Let me take a look."
Leaning against the desk, Rosel checked the plan.
'Definitely different from the previous one.'
The content was systematic. Unlike the vague previous plan, this one seemed clearly organized. Above all, the starred annotations really caught his eye.
* Never say lines like "Just do this."
A smile spread across Rosel's lips.
'She must have learned a lot from that professor, McHart.'
Checking the plan didn't take long.
As Rosel set down the paper, Raniel's eyes sparkled as she asked expectantly.
"How is it?"
"Not bad at all. If you teach like this, there won't be much left for me to teach."
Rosel nodded in satisfaction.
It had been worth making several professors cancel their classes over the past ten days.
'Once she gets the hang of it, she grows in a flash.'
Rosel trusted her monstrous growth rate.
All he had to do was offer minor advice from the side and guide her direction little by little.
'Advice, advice...'
Rosel paused on his way back to his seat.
Come to think of it, there was one thing that bothered him in the documents.
"There's one thing I'm curious about."
"Yes?"
"In the documents, how do you plan to handle this 'Analysis of the best spell circuit students can draw' item? If it's homework, it should be introduced in the next class."
Aphria Academy students were never low-level.
Some could even draw top-grade spell circuits.
'But they can't do it during class, right?'
As far as Rosel remembered, Raniel's classes lasted about an hour to an hour and a half. And for students to draw a top-grade spell circuit from scratch, it would take at least 40 to 50 minutes.
"Isn't it too tight to assign during class?"
"Ah, about that."
Raniel pulled out a stack of paper she had prepared beside her. It was cut to match the number of students.
"I prepared these."
"......"
Rosel silently examined the paper.
The material alone was extraordinary.
'Am I seeing this wrong?'
Rosel's expression hardened as he inspected the paper.
"Wait a minute. Lania, this is..."
"Yes, circuit recording paper. Paper enchanted with the Memorize spell so you can directly transfer the circuit from your mind."
Paper enchanted with the Memorize spell.
Commonly known as circuit recording paper, Rosel knew it well. It was even used for problem sheets when recording magical conundrums at the Magic Society.
However, what surprised Rosel wasn't that.
'But it's ridiculously expensive, isn't it?'
It was the price of this circuit recording paper. If Rosel remembered correctly, one bundle cost as much as a research lab's monthly budget.
'Looks like at least 40 or 50 sheets...'
Not believing it, Rosel asked Raniel.
"Lania."
"Yes?"
"All of these... are circuit recording paper?"
"Pardon? No, I only got ten sheets for now."
...For now?
"For now...?"
"The Black Mage Tower Lord said he'd engrave them personally. I'm going to pick them up soon."
"You plan to give them to all the students?"
"Of course. If I give to some and not others, it's favoritism. Have to be fair."
Thwack. Rosel smacked his forehead.
"Where on earth did you get that kind of money...?"
"When I checked the card, it was stacked up."
"What?"
Raniel tilted her head, then rummaged in her robe and pulled out a small card. It was a card enchanted with gold storage magic issued by the state.
'They said knights' salaries are deposited into these cards? You can withdraw the stored money without any hassle.'
As Rosel thought that, Raniel infused mana into the card. Soon, numbers appeared above it.
"This much was piled up."
Rosel narrowed his eyes and scanned the amount.
Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million...
He blinked at the endlessly continuing digits.
"...What is all this?"
"Subjugation rewards, special training fees, some rescue operation fees... Seems like I got paid a lot, but I just checked now."
"...Travel funds?"
"Pardon? The knight support funds were plenty. Kyle and the others probably spent theirs on clothes and outings... but I need to use mine when I need to."
Raniel grinned broadly as she said that.
"I saved up quite a bit, right?"
Rosel couldn't smile.
'Quite a bit?'
That?
For a fleeting moment, his disciple looked a bit different in Rosel's eyes. Even he, an elder of the Ashen Mage Tower, didn't lag behind in wealth...
'But this is on another level... isn't it?'
The amount recorded on the card was no laughing matter. Bluntly put, it was enough to build an entire mage tower.
2.
"Hey, Kyle."
"What's up, Sara."
"Is it okay if we get all new gear like this this time?"
Kyle glanced at the catalog Sara brought.
Clothes made by the Black Mage Tower.
Spell-stocked (Stock) garments.
Below it, in small print, a note said custom orders only.
"I think this one's pretty good too."
This time, Remia handed over the catalog.
It was armor introduced as a collaboration between elves and the Black Mage Tower. Advertising copy boasted hugely about engraving spells into elven garments.
"......"
Kyle silently glanced at Remia and Sara.
The outfits they were wearing now were also custom armor and priestess robes from the Black Mage Tower.
When did they buy those?
Kyle tried to recall.
No need to dig deep into memory. It had been less than a month, he remembered.
'Didn't they just buy them recently?'
About to ask that, Kyle shut his mouth. He gauged Sara and Remia's moods.
"Huh? Kyle? Is it no good?"
"Tonight, especially, your favorite..."
Their eyes sparkled.
They naturally pressed their bodies close, acting coquettish.
"......"
Kyle met their burdensome gazes and recalled this month's reward money.
'...VIP customer discount was what percent again.'
Weighing his current funds against the discount percentage, the answer came quickly.
'Really, it's just barely enough.'
Reporting to the kingdom that their gear was damaged would get them some compensation too.
"...Yeah, let's go shopping tomorrow."
"Yay!"
"Thanks, Kyle!"
Leaving the cheering Sara and Remia behind, Kyle rubbed his temple.
'Travel essentials... will end up as another loan.'
Mentioning the Hero's name usually got loans approved anyway.
But lately, those gazes weren't the same as before. Kyle knew the reason.
-Is the Ashen Mage not here?
-Come to think of it, she retired, right?
-The Ashen Mage...
Merchants kept bringing up that woman's name. Then, confirming Raniel wasn't there, they'd frown. One day, one even said:
-Mr. Kyle, I hate to say this, but... we've been lending for free because the Ashen Mage often visited our village and handled miscellaneous monster subjugations.
-The protective circuits she personally engraved from behind...
-Lady Raniel chipped in some money from behind...
And with that, the merchants gave subtle hints.
'Don't you have anything to offer?'
With eyes that practically asked that outright.
"......"
Kyle frowned.
He slightly lifted his head, glancing at Sara and Remia cheering over the catalog, admiring the Black Mage Tower's designs.
Watching them...
-You fucking lunatics, have you lost your minds?
A familiar voice echoed in his ears.
-Hey, how long ago did you buy that and you're buying again? Do you guys shit money? What the fuck? You need this? The only spell circuit on it is Cleanliness?
-Cancel the order right now. Before I rip apart what you're wearing too.
Words that had existed in a corner of Kyle's heart.
The image of the ash-haired mage who had spat them out so refreshingly flickered before his eyes.
"......"
Kyle tilted his head back.
Today, more than usual, he missed that woman.
3.
The top floor of the Black Mage Tower.
The Black Mage Tower Lord's personal lab and office.
A guest was there.
Not just any visitor, but an invited guest. The fact that Yetual, who rarely received guests, invited her personally showed how special she was.
"......"
Yetual silently glanced at the guest sitting across from him. She was currently the talk of the capital.
Lania van Trias.
She blinked, looking around the office curiously. She seemed intrigued.
'If she's interested, that's good.'
Pleased by that, Yetual nodded.
"Anything you're curious about?"
The girl nodded slightly at Yetual's question. Then she pointed at a booklet.
'That one...'
It was a catalog introducing high-end garments engraved with circuits, the Black Mage Tower's pride.
"That catalog?"
"Yeah. It's a business the Black Mage Tower is pushing. Interested?"
Yetual said that while scanning the girl's outfit. Even at a glance, it wasn't ordinary.
'...It even has the royal crest.'
A gift from the royal family.
Though it fell short of the Black Mage Tower's circuit engraving tech, the royal technique of infusing mana into the fabric itself was top-class.
'Interested in clothes?'
If so, he could gift her one despite the cost. Buying the favor of a mage like her was a small price.
'Let me see, leftover fabric...'
As Yetual thought that, the girl shook her head.
"No, not that."
"Then?"
"There's VIP customers listed next to it, right?"
She pointed to this month's VIP section on the catalog. More precisely, the initials "K" at the very top.
"Ah, one of our Black Mage Tower's VIPs."
Yetual shrugged.
He had listed initials, but he knew the identity.
Customer K, who from the early days of the clothing business never missed a new product.
'The Hero, Kyle.'
That was his identity.
'Just what he's spent could build a mage tower and have change left.'
Thanks to that, the Black Mage Tower's clothing business had successfully expanded.
"Truly a grateful customer. Hm, can't reveal that customer's identity though. Have to protect client privacy."
"Nah, not curious about the identity."
The girl asked.
"Does that customer K still buy a lot?"
"Hm? They renewed VIP last month's catalog too. Steady purchases."
At that answer, the girl wore a very subtle expression. A mix of disbelief and satisfaction.
Then, as if reaching a conclusion inside, she nodded slightly and spoke.
"Black Mage Tower Lord."
"Yes?"
"For new products, the circuit quality doesn't matter—just make the designs pretty."
"...What do you mean?"
Yetual tilted his head.
"Just try releasing one like that."
Lania said with a faint smile.
"It'll sell well."