Chapter 213
Chapter 213
When Logan imagined Hamar, the image that usually came to mind was of him roughly dressed in patched linen shirts and pants, layered with a leather vest, wearing craftsman's gloves to prevent injuries.
But now...
"Wahahaha! Master, it's been nearly eight months since Taren. Don't I look splendid now?"
Even if the other dwarves and escort knights who had come along were dressed similarly, Hamar's plump, smiling face was utterly unfamiliar.
He was neatly dressed in a red silk garment adorned with yellow amber buttons—the kind typically worn by the kingdom's nobility.
It was an outfit befitting a wealthy merchant, but absolutely not a craftsman.
Logan, who had just been perfectly satisfied with Taren's transformation, narrowed his eyes slightly.
Hamar flinched.
"W-what? Why are you looking at me like that? I did a good job! What?! Why?!"
"Yeah, you did, but..."
"Why do you keep making me nervous? If you've got something to criticize, just say it!"
"You did well, but... I guess you're not working anymore? Not a speck of dust on your clothes."
"That's ridiculous! We have 1,103 dwarves in our workshop now! And about three times that many human craftsmen! Why would I need to work directly?!"
Well, that was true, but...
'Why does it bother me so much to think Hamar isn't working?'
Was it some kind of compensation psychology from constantly being called a demonic master?
Pfft.
Logan laughed at his own selfish thought, but when Hamar saw it, he flinched again and shouted.
"B-by the way, I tailored this outfit myself, down to the buttons! Didn't spend a penny!"
Oh dear.
He even made the clothes himself.
Given all the work he'd done, he could've just bought something decent.
'I should treat him better.'
With that resolution, Logan patted Hamar on the shoulder.
"Who's criticizing you? You did well."
"......?"
"Let's take a look inside the workshop. Show me around."
"......Really?"
"Of course, really. Why would I fake a tour?"
"N-no, you're really just letting it go... Hmph. Never mind. Well, in that case, let's go. I'll guide you properly from the entrance—after all, I designed it myself."
"Good. And the mine too."
"Ah! Right! We started mining there a few days ago!"
"Great. Then we should hurry."
As master and slave turned away laughing, they both tilted their heads slightly at the same time.
A vague, uneasy feeling, as if they'd skipped over something they should've addressed.
Unbeknownst to them, this was the first time they had reunited after several months without any friction.
Perhaps that was why, after walking in silence for a while, Hamar hesitated several times before quietly speaking up.
"I, I saved a lot on construction costs, so I bought silk and amber to make this outfit."
"......Huh?"
"I have a few more sets. But I really did save a lot on construction!"
"......Workshop manager's salary raise canceled."
"W-why?!"
"You just confessed to embezzlement."
"I, I saved more than that...!! Wait, hold on? Before that, was I even getting a salary?"
"Exactly. Canceling what I was going to give you."
"Why?!!"
Logan chuckled as he bickered with Hamar before finally agreeing to give him the same monthly salary as Dwain, MacLaine's highest-ranking administrator.
Of course, performance bonuses for his achievements and efficiency were calculated separately.
'I should take care of my people properly.'
Seeing Hamar's cheerful smile return as he walked ahead with light steps, Logan smiled contentedly—but that smile lasted no more than a few hours.
Hundreds of dwarves bustled about the magic ore vein.
"Master. I heard your biggest concern was rumors spreading about 'that thing' being mined here."
"Yeah. Exactly."
"So only dwarves and I are handling the work here."
"Oh, I see. That's why progress has been quick."
"Right. And we even signed special contracts."
"Special contracts?"
"Magical contracts. Exactly 300 of them, costing 3 million gold. So secrecy is guaranteed."
"......3 million? 300 magical contracts?"
The moment Logan's expression darkened instantly—
Hamar's lips, which had been curled up in excitement, twitched violently.
"T-that's cheap, isn't it? You have plenty of money, so why?!"
True. At one point, 3 million gold was MacLaine's annual budget, but now it wasn't such a huge sum.
But the money wasn't the issue.
"Ugh. With 300 contracts, you must've bought them from the Royal Magic Tower, right? The one in the capital?"
"W-well, yeah..."
Hearing Hamar's answer, Logan felt like grabbing his own neck and collapsing on the spot.
Magical contracts could be nullified by any mage of the 4th Circle or higher, and even non-mage knights of the highest tier could break free from their influence with sheer force.
But in this kingdom, the only place capable of producing such magical contracts was the Royal Magic Tower, home to the Wizard School's class mages.
Moreover—
'The Royal Magic Tower has sworn loyalty exclusively to the king for generations...'
Ugh.
Logan forced out a sigh to suppress his rising blood pressure.
"Huuu. Hamar, imagine you're a mage."
"U-uhm?"
"What would you think if some noble family—especially one suddenly developing a city—bought 300 magical contracts all at once?"
"......Uh, a generous customer?"
"Are you insane?! Do you think mages are all idiots?!"
Hamar, who had been scrambling for excuses, finally realized his mistake and turned pale.
"They'd think we're forcing a bunch of contracts for something shady—especially in a territory that just opened a new mine. If they find out, the royal family will know too."
"......Ah, agh. I, I honestly didn't think that far... Sorry, Master. Really, really sorry."
The dwarf bowed his head deeply, his white beard trembling as tears welled up in his eyes—unfitting for his rugged face. Seeing this, Logan's anger subsided.
And upon further reflection, it wasn't like anything major would change.
'We already secured a 10-year tax exemption. Even if royal investigators come, we can just block them. Why would they investigate a place that doesn't even pay taxes?'
Besides, there was another reliable safeguard.
'Master. I trust you. You'd better help me properly this time.'
Recalling his master's expression when they parted in the capital, Logan calmed himself with a small sigh.
Still, to discipline Hamar for his rashness nearly causing a crisis, he deliberately maintained a stern expression.
"What's done is done. But strictly control outsider access. Especially the route from here to the Magic Tower where 'that thing' is mined."
"Y-yes, Master."
"Sorry for shouting. Trying to maintain secrecy was a good idea. Just report to me first next time."
"W-wait, I think I did report it? I'm sure there was an approval document?"
"......Huh?"
"Y-yeah! I bought them after getting approval! Before the rebel suppression, back in the territory! There should be a stamped document somewhere! H-hold on. Damn, it wasn't just my fault. I'll show you the document later in the office! Hah, I got scared for nothing."
A sudden chill ran down Logan's spine.
The image of himself pushing aside a tired Ellen and stamping documents with reckless abandon flashed through his mind.
'What did I say back then?'
— ......Hey, Lord Logan. Aren't you going to read the contents?
— I hired competent administrators so I wouldn't have to check these. Dwain must've reviewed the final draft.
'Ah, damn it. Ugh.'
He wanted to slap his past self for that idiotic remark.
If Hamar found out he was the one who stamped the approval document after seeing him shed tears earlier...
"Aha. Well, it was a good idea. There must've been some oversight in the reporting process. Mistakes happen when everyone's busy. It's fine."
"Master, you look really not fine right now. No way. If the report was wrong, let's find whoever messed up and make them take responsibility together—"
"Haha. No need. We have ways to handle it anyw—"
Unable to meet Hamar's unfairly aggrieved gaze, Logan's eyes wandered aimlessly into the distance.
Then—
Flash.
"......Huh?"
Far off in the direction he was looking—
A brilliant light burst forth from the top of the Magic Tower.
'Please, please, please, gods above.'
Clayton, too, cast his gaze upward—not at the sky, but at the ceiling—as he watched the steel plate begin to glow blue.
He had prayed so much that he could no longer tell whether he was a mage or a priest.
After perfecting his theory and just before beginning experiments, those damned rebels had forced MacLaine to deploy troops.
He had personally delivered divine punishment to them and returned, thinking he could finally focus on his experiments—but that had been a grave miscalculation.
Even after receiving the first batch of mined magic stones, he had failed seven times in three days.
The theory he had believed flawless had been completely revised within those three days, and now it was beyond further modification.
'If this fails, I'll have to scrap the entire existing theory. Start over from scratch.'
He would have to extract a new theory from his research notes.
Well, having reached the realm of an archmage, perhaps he could make slightly wiser judgments than when he first saw those notes.
It might take a year to perfect the theory.
And then a few more years for experiments...
'No. I can't face Lord Logan like that.'
Of course, the man himself had said it was fine.
— Success would be great, but failure is okay too. It's not like the enemy will get their hands on— Ahaha. Forget I said that. It slipped out.
— ......No. I will succeed.
How many times had he staked his pride like this?
Even if no one criticized him, he knew better than anyone—
If he failed this experiment, his spirit would suffer a devastating blow.
It wasn't just about pride.
While deciphering the research notes left by some unknown person—or group—he had realized something.
'The force that strengthens a mage's signature Mana Force is ultimately the mage's soul. And that soul isn't some intangible, primordial relic the gods used as a foundation when creating humans.'
For a mage, the soul represented the value accumulated through one's life.
'By keeping one's word, advancing it, and acting upon it, one gives direction to the trajectory of their life.'
And that was the driving force behind ascending to higher realms of magic.
The research notes referred to this as Word Power.
After years of research, Clayton now knew this to be true.
'I just tried to live as honestly as possible.'
That attitude had led him to the realm of an archmage at a young age.
And it also hinted at why Juan Douglas, once this kingdom's sole archmage and hailed as a genius of the century, had stopped progressing at some point.
So now—
'No matter what, I must succeed.'
Regardless of this experiment's outcome, the research notes themselves were a treasure unmatched in this era.
For the sake of the benefactor who gave him and his school this opportunity—
And for his own sake—
He had to succeed.
Perhaps his desperate wish was heard.
Hummmmm.
The steel plate enveloped in blue light began to vibrate strangely, undergoing a transformation.
And Clayton, more sensitive to mana than anyone, could predict the outcome from that subtle vibration alone.
'It worked! Finally!!'
He had overcome the most critical hurdle for mass-producing low-tier artifacts.
And so, in that moment, Clayton used the heavy burden lifted from his heart as a stepping stone to ascend further.
Just two years after reaching the 6th Circle—the realm of archmages—and becoming a Beginner, he now leaped to the next stage: 6th-Circle Expert.
'Simply voicing difficult promises and acting on them...'
The most important lesson he could leave his disciples was now engraved in his soul.
Feeling the warm golden light radiating from his body, Clayton smiled.
At the same time—
'Thank you, gods.'
He thought he understood why ancient archmages of high realms had often been deeply devout.