Direction
The food stall was packed with customers.
The ones seated at the tables were laborers kept busy by the construction of the statue.
“Looks like this’ll never be finished at this rate.”
“Don’t worry about it. All we have to do is keep doing our jobs. The important stuff will get handled by the mages anyway.”
“That’s easy for you to say. What kind of nonsense is this—telling people to carve out the eyes? And then they go on about setting gems in it, or whatever. They keep spouting that sort of thing and calling it a plan.”
“How should I know? I’m just doing what I’m told.”
The laborers’ complaints seemed to have reached a boiling point lately.
Whenever Lawrence ran into them, they often had the nerve to curse the mage tower without a trace of fear.
They grumbled about the work falling behind schedule.
About the statue still not being finished.
About how all of that was throwing everything else into disarray.
“A spell for opening locked doors?”
Lawrence focused on the conversation.
Seated across from him was Number 14.
“Yes. I saw the elder open a door with magic.”
First meetings often led to ties of some kind.
Since they were staying together in neighboring workshops, Lawrence and Number 14 sometimes ended up talking like this.
“That would be Unlock. Just as you said, it’s a spell that can open locked doors—or chests when you’ve lost the key.”
He nodded at Lawrence’s question.
“That’s an awfully convenient spell.”
“Of course it is. Unlock is one of those spells that exists purely for convenience. But why are you asking? Have you lost the workshop key, just like me?”
Number 14 set down the tea he had been holding.
The bitter-scented tea was orel tea.
“Ah, no. I haven’t. I haven’t even been in the workshop that long—how would I already lose the key? I just thought it would be good to learn it, just in case.”
“Hmm. I can’t say I don’t understand what you mean, but you really are an unusual mage. Not an attack spell, either. Interested in this sort of petty trickery….”
As if he still found it difficult to grasp, he shook his head.
“Don’t all mages think differently? I believe it’s better to learn as many spells as possible.”
“That’s the sort of thing someone who knows one thing and doesn’t know two would say. We don’t have much time. If we want to be recognized, we need to learn attack spells that can actually help us in a territorial war. Where would we find the time to waste on a spell fit for thieves?”
“There’s no hierarchy in magic.”
“A fair statement. But there is hierarchy among people.”
At that reply, Lawrence’s expression hardened.
“You’re not a noble either, so you ought to understand what I mean. Learning magic takes an enormous amount of money and time. Nobles, who’ve enjoyed wealth from the day they were born, can grow into mages with the full support of their families behind them. We, on the other hand, don’t have that luxury.”
A bitter smile spread at the corner of his wrinkled mouth.
“We were merely lucky enough to be granted a glimpse of the world’s workings. We have no means or method to make that into something more. You think we should seek a noble patron? That’s easy to say when you don’t know the first thing about reality. Look around you. This is a workshop district full of mages who’ve already had their talent tested once. Do you truly believe you could push all of them aside and win a noble patron’s support?”
Unbidden, Lawrence’s eyes drifted to the pocket watch at his waist.
“Nine times out of ten, they’d shake their heads. In other words, mages like us—mages who have nothing—need to learn attack magic as quickly as possible. If we can become territorial mages, the nobles will cover the enormous research expenses for us.”
“So there’s no room to spare for looking elsewhere, then.”
“Exactly. Remember this well. Even creating the conditions to research magic is part of a mage’s qualifications.”
“And yet you used Unlock, didn’t you, Elder Number 14?”
The words and the action didn’t match.
“That’s why I say it makes even less sense, doesn’t it? I am the end result of a failed mage. Too talentless to even dream of a noble patron. Just a mage wasting away in a workshop.”
“I don’t think you’ve failed, Elder.”
That was a different matter from magical skill.
Number 14’s efforts to study the Arme Empire deserved respect all the same.
“Thank you for saying so. But look at my age. I’ve reached the point where I had to learn Unlock simply because I couldn’t even remember where I’d put my keys. So don’t follow the same path I did.”
He lifted his teacup and gave a wry smile.
Lawrence held back his words when he heard the sincerity in his voice.
Silently, he picked up his spoon.
The dish the two of them had ordered at the stall was meat and potato stew.
That was to say, stew with meat and potatoes in it.
But no matter how much he scooped, he couldn’t seem to find any solid pieces.
“But you really were thinking of learning Unlock?”
Lawrence nodded.
In the end, a month had passed since he came to the workshop.
He had grown reasonably adept at the basic spells now, and compared with when he had first learned Shadow Trap, he had made meaningful progress.
As for the assignment the mage tower had given him…
To be honest, there had been little real advancement.
For all the talk of practicality and utility, he still wasn’t sure how to go about researching it.
Like Number 14 had said, it seemed better to study how to use Water offensively.
“A Unlock spellbook will cost around one gold coin, at least. If you still haven’t changed your mind, you should make an inquiry at the mage tower.”
“I don’t plan to ask the mage tower.”
“You don’t?”
For a brief moment, confusion colored his eyes.
Then, feeling Lawrence’s intent gaze on him, Number 14 spoke.
“Could it be that you’re….”
“I’m not asking you to teach me for free. I’ll pay you a modest fee every time you teach me Unlock.”
At Lawrence’s proposal, he shook his head.
“I’m busy with my own research.”
“One hour a day would be enough.”
“One hour? Hmm. Do you really think you can learn it from that?”
“That depends on how hard I work.”
As much as he wanted to ask for more time.
Considering Number 14’s own scholarly zeal, this was his limit.
After covering his mouth in thought, Number 14 said, “Fine. How much will you pay?”
“How about three silver each time?”
“Too little. No one would teach for that, not even if it were Unlock.”
Lawrence had expected as much.
He had deliberately named a low fee.
He didn’t know how much mages paid one another to teach spells.
From Number 14’s reaction, he had at least confirmed the minimum.
“I’m taking on the risk too, you know. I don’t know how you teach, so I can’t exactly hand over a large sum right from the start. If I succeed in learning Unlock, I’ll add extra compensation.”
His finances still had some room.
But he had no idea how long he would remain at the mage tower.
Since the number of places he could earn money was limited, he needed to save wherever he could.
“That’s reasonable. Very well. You do owe me a debt. But once you’ve learned the spell, promise me here and now that you’ll pay the rest properly.”
“If I succeed in learning Unlock, I’ll add twenty silver on top of that.”
“Thirty silver.”
“Twenty-five silver. Anything beyond that is too much for me.”
He put force into his voice.
Lawrence had negotiated prices in all sorts of towns.
He wasn’t some naïve fool, and he certainly wasn’t going to be made a plaything by an old mage.
“Hmm…. This time only. I’m in no position to be picky either. But there won’t be a next time.”
“Thank you, Elder.”
At Number 14’s answer, Lawrence bowed his head.
“Good. Then when would you like to begin?”
“You seem to be in a hurry for money.”
“Ahem. Must you put it that bluntly?”
“If it’s all right with you, I’d be glad to start tomorrow.”
Now that he had learned Wind, he wanted to learn another spell as soon as possible.
The two mages continued their conversation at the stall until the tea went cold.
* * *
In the morning, he worked on the assignment from the mage tower.
At noon, he visited Number 14’s workshop to study Unlock.
In the afternoon and evening, he handled magic in the cellar.
Life in the workshop kept Lawrence busy, but it was a diligent and satisfying one.
In particular, he was glad he had asked Number 14 for guidance.
It wasn’t just about learning magic.
Since he had spent so long in the workshop district, Number 14 knew all sorts of things about the mage tower.
“Be sure to recharge your mana stone whenever you have time.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“A mage must never go beyond their limits. Yes—that’s common sense for a mage. Naturally, the mage tower understands that as well. Don’t worry too much. Just as every mage has a different amount of mana, the mage tower only borrows the proper amount from each one.”
From what Lawrence had heard at the mage tower,
the minimum payment for mana stone recharging was five silver coins.
In other words, depending on the applicant’s individual mana, the reward could be higher.
“I thought the mage tower might have some hidden scheme.”
“A scheme? What sort of scheme?”
“There must be a reason they pay that much, right? I wondered if they were draining mana to dangerous levels, or if there’d be some kind of aftereffect once the mana stone had been recharged.”
“I see. You’re right. The mage tower naturally doesn’t do business at a loss. Isn’t that obvious? It was made by mages, after all. There’s no reason for them to run a charity.”
Lawrence looked at Number 14.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Simple. It means the mage tower can make more money from the applicant’s mana stone than it pays out.”
After setting down his orel tea, he continued.
“How much do you know about mana stones?”
“I’ve never even seen one.”
All he had ever heard in Hilton Village was that they were sold there.
It had been quite some time since he left the village and set out on the road.
Yet even now, he had never once hunted a monster that carried a mana stone.
“Generally, mana stones are called the crystallization of mana. Mana drifting through the world takes form within a monster’s body for one reason or another. There are different kinds of mana stones. The kind the mage tower accepts from applicants is called a rechargeable mana stone.”
In other words, the work the mage tower provided was simply the task of charging those rechargeable mana stones.
“Strictly speaking, they don’t use only rechargeable stones. It’s just that the stones they lend to applicants happen to be rechargeable. This may sound nice enough, but the output of rechargeable mana stones is significantly lower than that of other mana stones. It’s the same reason semi-permanent artifacts are less efficient. The more you use them, the more they wear down—that’s the easiest way to think of it.”
Artifact.
It was a staple of old stories.
Magical tools imbued with power were collectively called artifacts.
“Now then, let me ask you something. Where do you think the mage tower uses rechargeable mana stones?”
“Well… I’d assume they’re used for researching magic?”
“Half right and half wrong. They do use them for research, but even more important than that is money-making.”
“Money-making?”
At Lawrence’s question, Number 14 nodded.
“The area around here is an autonomous district ruled by the mage tower. But the tower isn’t like a noble house with a fine estate, nor does it have any obvious source of income. If money doesn’t come pouring in from somewhere, how could it possibly sustain itself on this scale?”
“So just as nobles make money from their estates, the mage tower needs a stable source of income. And that source is rechargeable mana stones?”
“Quick on the uptake, aren’t you? Exactly. They use rechargeable mana stones when making artifacts. The same goes for inscribing magic into scrolls. Those two tools, produced in quantity, have become the mage tower’s main sources of income.”
“I’ve seen them sold in magic shops. They’re at least worth gold coins, aren’t they? Do scrolls really sell that well?”
Scrolls were parchment bearing magic.
Unlike wooden tablets, which were easy enough to come by, they used expensive parchment, so the raw material alone drove the price up, and then the magic contained within made the value fluctuate wildly.
He clearly remembered them as one of the most common items displayed in magic shops after books.
“For nobles, they’re something they can never seem to have enough of.”
“I can understand artifacts, but I had no idea scrolls were bought so often too.”
He couldn’t help but be impressed.
The prices were beyond what ordinary people could even dream of.
He hadn’t expected magical tools like that to sell so well.
“Hmm. What do you think is the most important force in a territorial war?”
“People, I’d say.”
“True enough. But soldiers are only the bare minimum required to wage a territorial war. No matter how broad the battlefield, there’s always a limit to how many troops can fight at once.”
After wetting his throat with orel tea, Number 14 went on.
“The same goes for mercenaries. Those mothlike fools don’t spend all that time agonizing over which lord to side with for no reason. No matter how high the pay may be, you have to stay alive long enough to collect it.”
“That’s why mages and knights matter, isn’t it?”
Lawrence spoke as he thought of Invincible Caelo.
If a knight like that were on the battlefield, ordinary soldiers filling out the numbers wouldn’t stand a chance.
“You know your stuff. Territorial mages, especially, are the pride of any territorial war, since a single spell can kill swaths of enemies at once. After that come knights, who can overturn the course of battle with only a few hundred men. And then there’s the thing with comparable power: scrolls.”
The moment he heard that, Lawrence understood.
“So scrolls replace territorial mages?”
“They can’t truly replace them. Scrolls aren’t cheap enough to be used willy-nilly in a territorial war. But it’s true that the number of scrolls you have can put you at a major advantage. Think about it. While territorial mages are busy countering one another, suddenly a Fireball or a Fire Explosion drops among the soldiers. Fear is contagious, and your allies can become more dangerous than the enemy. After that, all that remains is uncontrollable chaos.”
“……”
He didn’t know exactly what spell Number 14 was talking about.
But he was sure it was a powerful fire-element spell.
“Of course, scrolls aren’t omnipotent. Four out of ten won’t even activate, and even when they do, the odds of them going where you want are low. More often than not, the person using the scroll gets hurt instead.”
“That’s dangerous. And people still buy them?”
“That’s the power of magic. You understand that much, don’t you? We are mages—not only permitted to see the workings of the world, but to hold that power in our own hands and use it directly. Or so the mage tower says. One day, to trample every law of the world beneath our feet and wield them at will—that is the grand goal we mages are meant to achieve.”
“……”
“Seems you don’t agree.”
“I’m not sure. I imagine what people pursue differs from person to person.”
Somehow, the mage tower’s guiding principle felt as though its means and ends had been reversed.
Remember this: magic is borrowing the principles of the world. Do not try to create those principles by yourself. Even the magic you think you have achieved alone cannot be used without the world’s help.
Lawrence remembered Veles’s teaching.
In the face of the world’s mysteries, people were nothing more than small, fragile beings.