Water Ball
The workshop district had been living under the shadow of the incident for quite some time.
No matter how serious the problem had been, the magic tower had been the one overseeing the statue project. Since responsibility lay with them, the follow-up measures had come swiftly.
The bird-haired mage who had personally lodged the complaint—
Number 122 would no longer be seen in the workshop district.
They didn’t make the same mistake twice.
From that day on, the magic tower took the mercenaries under much stricter control.
They traveled in groups of three or four, with a silver-plate officer keeping the mercenaries in line.
Thanks to that, public order in the workshop district improved as well.
But the workshop mages’ dissatisfaction still wriggled beneath the surface.
They simply couldn’t show it openly.
The voices of those voicing complaints to the magic tower never really died down.
Still, Lawrence would be leaving the magic tower soon enough.
He had no time to spare worrying about the district’s grumbling.
He focused entirely on learning Water Ball.
The loan period for the spellbook was only a month.
He had to master Water Ball within that time.
With the clock pressing down on him, everything else was pushed to the side.
Water, Wind, and the like.
There was no time to practice his existing spells.
All he could manage from time to time was setting up a Shadow Trap in the cellar.
Maybe because of that, or maybe not, the duration of Shadow Trap kept growing day by day.
Only when he needed to clear his head did he visit Workshop Number 14.
Even amid his research, the old mage always welcomed Lawrence’s visits.
“Number 13. You’re a man who knows how to conduct himself.”
“Would you tell me more about the Arme Empire today as well?”
“Still curious, are you? It’s a fine thing to satisfy one’s thirst for knowledge. Don’t hesitate now—ask away.”
Number 14 brewed the orrel Lawrence had brought as a gift.
“What you said last time left a strong impression on me. You mentioned that the Holy Land of the order might be connected to the Arme Empire.”
“So you’re interested in the theory of the Holy Land as well. Yes, I did say that. The order’s Holy Land may well be a legacy of the empire.”
Suddenly, the landscape of the Lost Sanctuary came to mind.
The Holy Land in Spider Forest had felt closer to a monastery.
By contrast, the Holy Land in Ulbazar Swamp had been a massive temple.
Was everything he had seen there truly a relic of the empire?
It wasn’t an impossible idea.
And yet he couldn’t be certain either.
Lawrence had studied under Ignatius’s instruction.
At the very least, some of those objects had certainly been holy relics of the order.
“If I were ten years younger, I might have gone around the Holy Land myself to verify it. But alas, I’ve grown old, and that’s something I can no longer do. It saddens me more than I can say.”
“I don’t think it’s too late for you yet. The order has pilgrims, doesn’t it? Those ascetics who wander the Holy Land alone, just as you described. If clergy like that can move freely through the world, then surely there’s no reason a mage like you couldn’t do the same, sir.”
“Hoho. Youth is dazzling indeed. Age isn’t something I can will away. For an old man like me, even if someone were to help, setting out on the road is no easy matter. I didn’t stay at the magic tower because I didn’t want to leave. I stayed because I couldn’t leave.”
At the bitterness in his voice, Lawrence chose his words carefully.
“Then how about somewhere nearby instead? There may be a Holy Land around the magic tower as well.”
“Unfortunately, there is no Holy Land around here.”
Number 14 said it without hesitation.
“How many years do you think I’ve stayed in the workshop district? I’ve already looked into every place that seemed even remotely possible. I even hired people to ask around. But all I learned was the history of the magic tower itself. This land was originally occupied by a powerful orc tribe. The first tower master wiped out the orcs—those pests that had been a thorn in the kingdom’s side—and that was the beginning of the magic tower.”
“So this place used to belong to the orcs?”
“That’s right. Which only makes the odds of a Holy Land being here even lower. Think about it. How could a Holy Land exist near the stronghold of monsters?”
“Couldn’t the opposite also be true?”
“The opposite?”
Lawrence continued, “What if there was originally a Holy Land here, and the orcs settled afterward? If you think of it that way, then just as you said, after the empire fell, the orcs might have taken over its legacy.”
“An interesting view. So it wasn’t that the orcs lived here from the start, but that they took it by force? Indeed… that could certainly be the case.”
Number 14 took out a pen and scribbled something down.
It seemed he was making a note so he wouldn’t forget their conversation.
“Then where do you think is the most suspicious?”
“The magic tower, wouldn’t you say?”
“We’re in agreement then. Since there are no other clues nearby, if there is a Holy Land at all, it’s most likely somewhere inside the tower.”
“Actually checking would be difficult, though.”
Lawrence tipped his teacup.
If that was true, then anything concerning the Holy Land inside the tower would be confidential. In other words, unless one rose to a certain level in the hierarchy, one wouldn’t know—and wouldn’t be able to find it either.
He would give up on the tower’s Holy Land.
He didn’t have the luxury of time anymore.
Better to use that time learning Water Ball.
Going back to solve more tasks just to earn research funds didn’t suit his temperament.
Magic wasn’t something he could only learn at the magic tower.
As always, there were the New Age magics he could learn from the neighbors of the Spirit World, and as a final fallback, the Royal Academy still remained.
“Come to think of it, I saw a maid in the magic tower.”
“A maid?”
“She was asking something at the counter. I don’t know which noble she serves, but if she came all the way to the magic tower, those scrolls must be selling very well.”
“Number 13. You don’t think of the magic tower as some sort of corner shop, do you?”
At the story, Number 14 frowned.
“The magic tower doesn’t sell scrolls like that. Aside from the scrolls distributed to village shops in each branch, everything else is made to order in fixed quantities.”
“So there isn’t a separate place to buy them at the tower?”
“That goes without saying. Usually, the scrolls are entrusted to a reliable merchant house or trade caravan and delivered to the domain. At such times, the tower mages accompany them as escorts—and the security is extremely tight. If you’re talking about the sort of normal sales you’d see in a magic shop… well, yes. I suppose only when the tower hosts an auction.”
It was more systematic than Lawrence had expected.
It was a long way removed from an ordinary magic shop.
“And if you call someone a maid, then how can you tell whether she’s a housemaid or a lady’s attendant? Which one was the woman you saw?”
“A maid is just a maid, isn’t it? There are different kinds?”
“Now that’s the kind of thing that would cause serious trouble if the wrong person heard it.”
Number 14 shook his head, looking exhausted.
“Not all maids are the same. The maid you’re talking about was probably a housemaid. A young lady in service, the kind you can find anywhere. By contrast, a lady’s attendant is a noble.”
“A noble? Are you making fun of me now?”
“I’m not, so calm down and listen. Even if they’re nobles, their title is lower than the noble they serve. It’s usually like a baron’s daughter serving the daughter of a count or a viscount. Still, a noble is a noble. Not someone a commoner like you or me can treat carelessly.”
Lawrence wore a sour expression.
It was news to him.
Not all maids were the same.
If there was such a difference between housemaids and ladies’ attendants, then from now on he’d have to be careful with every word he spoke.
“Good grief… if it hadn’t been for you, sir, I really would have been in serious trouble.”
“The mouth is the source of trouble, as they say. It’s a relief you’ve learned that now. Always be mindful of your words in front of nobles. A noble is one who can poison your teacup while smiling. If you aren’t careful in everything you do, you never know what may happen at a salon gathering.”
So nobles really did live in a different world, then?
Lawrence could only nod.
“So, what now?”
“What do you mean?”
“The maid you saw. I’m asking you to tell whether she was a housemaid or a lady’s attendant.”
After recalling her mannerisms for a moment, Lawrence spoke.
“I think she was a lady’s attendant.”
She was different from an ordinary housemaid.
And Lawrence, who had once been a servant himself, could tell.
That wasn’t the sort of poise one learned in a day or two.
It was like Sister Abeline of Saint Charmant Monastery. The crystallization of effort built from blood and sweat.
“I’d say so. An ordinary housemaid wouldn’t be allowed to visit the magic tower. I don’t know what business she had there, but perhaps she came to see a domain mage.”
“You mean the attendant came to check on a domain mage?”
“A lord can’t leave his domain unattended, can he? So he sends a retainer to determine which mage is coming in as a domain mage.”
Lawrence’s face darkened.
The more he learned, the more he realized how much he didn’t know.
There had never been a day when his ignorance felt so humiliating.
The noble world was simply too far away for a boy like him.
* * *
“Water Ball.”
At the activation word, water began to take shape.
A sphere of water, about the size of a fist.
Compared to compressed Water, it was much larger.
The sphere moved at Lawrence’s gesture.
Needless to say, the casting time was short.
Unlike Water, which required a compression process, Water Ball was completed in its compressed form from the start.
As a result, it consumed little mana.
And his control was already excellent.
Lawrence hurled Water Ball at the target board.
The water sphere punched through the straw dummy and struck the wall beyond.
Water scattered in every direction.
A small dent was left in the wall.
It wasn’t a weak attack.
It wouldn’t pierce a monster’s hide or armor, but it would certainly be enough to deliver a staggering blow.
Of course, in terms of raw power alone, it couldn’t compare to fire-attribute magic or void-attribute magic.
Fire Tail would carve a person open, armor and all.
Shadow Spear would kill a monster through its hide.
But Lawrence had never expected that kind of power from Water Ball.
If a spell was too strong, that could be a problem in itself.
Especially for Lawrence, who made his living as a mercenary, overly powerful magic was always both an advantage and a disadvantage.
Because it left no useful byproducts behind.
He hadn’t gone through the trouble of burying himself in Bind research for nothing.
In that sense, Water Ball was perfect for preserving byproducts.
He didn’t have to worry about its power.
Once he became more practiced, he could draw out much greater force than he could now.
In other words, he’d be able to finish off monsters without damaging the byproducts.
The return deadline for the Water Ball spellbook was next week.
Somehow, some way, he had managed to learn it within the month.
Lawrence closed the spellbook and cast Water Ball once more.
At the proud shape of Water Ball, a smile touched his lips.
* * *
Lawrence returned the Water Ball spellbook to the magic tower.
Malcolm, the examiner who had also lent him the workshop, was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, another mage from the tower received him.
“Understood. Workshop Number 13. We’ll note that you’re scheduled to leave next week. Please make sure to return the key on time that day.”
Were there really that many mages leaving the workshop?
The exchange went surprisingly smoothly.
On his way back to Workshop Number 13, Lawrence stopped by a street stall.
Next week, after all, he would be leaving the magic tower.
For once, he allowed himself a little luxury and picked out something to eat.
But as if to say that the road to departure was never smooth, the area around him suddenly grew noisy.
“What’s going on?”
“Did someone cause another accident?”
There was no need to think about it.
Something must have gone wrong with the statue again.
It was the only place in the workshop district where a major incident could happen.
Just as Lawrence was rising from the stall—
“A mana stone thief!”
“They stole the mana stones meant for the statue!”
The urgent cry of a laborer spread through the workshop district.