Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: This Indefinite Contractor's Cheat is [Self-Improvement Book Reader]
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[Hey, mid-grade elixir? Not a potion?]
[You think I can't tell the difference between a potion and an elixir? You even recommended Frost Red Tea, so I had a cup. That stuff's the real deal. I thought the mana recovery rumors were fake, but they're legit.]
[Frost Red Tea too?!]
[Yep. And you overestimated me big time. It's putting some pressure on me. I'm not all that great—I'm not sure I can live up to his expectations.]
[Overestimated? What did he say?]
[Hmm. Well, he said that while my abilities are those of a mage, my mindset is more like a knight's.]
[…….!]
[I nearly jumped out of my skin when you jokingly called me Sir Daniel.]
Daniel chuckled it off like it was no big deal, but Titania couldn't brush it aside so easily.
Her heart sank.
'Oh my god! How did he figure it out?!'
She knew Daniel's true nature.
A mage who wasn't like other mages.
His abilities were those of a mage, but his inner drive was closer to a worker or a soldier—a mutant of sorts.
It was a secret only she knew about Daniel. But now, one more person shared that secret.
'How in the world... Ah! Oh!'
She bit her lip.
A piece of forgotten information suddenly resurfaced.
'Come to think of it, that guy's nickname was "Talent Hoarder"!!!'
Not long ago, Rainer Dol Carta, upon enrolling in the Imperial Academy, created a legend that's still talked about today.
Talent Hoarder! A talent maniac who poured gold into collecting renowned talents regardless of their status!
By graduation, he'd whisked away over a hundred talents to the North.
This included not just academy students, but professors and assistants too.
Thanks to him, there was even a half-joking rumor that the Imperial Academy nearly had to close for a semester—a monster and an eccentric who made it happen!
Titania shuddered.
'Did I just send a talent straight to the Talent Hoarder?']
"Aaaahhh!!!"
A scream escaped her unconsciously.
Realizing what a foolish mistake she'd made, she couldn't hold it in.
He might have quieted down after returning North, but that didn't mean his nature had vanished. How could she commit such an absurd blunder!
[Manager? Something wrong?]
[N-no, nothing! Just a sudden headache!]
[Overworked? Don't push yourself. Health comes before work.]
[Yeah, just like you said, Daniel.]
She masked her feelings with a smile and probed gently.
[Anyway, Daniel. Did the young lord offer you any honorary position or title?]
[Nothing like that.]
[Good. If it comes up, don't answer on the spot—contact me first. We need to discuss it.]
[Discuss?]
[Yes. Even a simple honorary title could turn into a political issue between the Magic Tower and the North. Things are sensitive as it is, right? Better safe than sorry.]
[I see. You're right, Manager. Got it. Will do.]
[Great. Ahem. One more thing I want to ask.]
[Go ahead.]
[How's the North? I'd love your impressions.]
She forced a smile as she asked.
She had to check.
The inner thoughts of this man who'd been offered not just a mid-grade elixir from Rainer, but even the title "Sir Daniel"!
[Hmm. Nice place. Friendly people, great food, amazing scenery. Personally, I think it's better than my hometown.]
[I-is that so.]
Her expression hardened.
[The weather's the only downside. This cold... I can't get used to it. Especially at night—breathing feels like it hurts my lungs. I don't know how people live here.]
[I see!]
Her face brightened.
'Good! Still safe. I knew I could trust you, Daniel! Of course! I taught you magic myself—you wouldn't flip that easily!'
Titania let out a silent sigh of relief.
Of course, it was too early to relax completely.
The talent thief was already on the move. If she sat idle, who knew what would happen.
'No conscience—eyeing the talent I claimed first! As if I'd let him steal you!']
Cursing Rainer, who had shifted from a political ally to foster into a rival to keep at arm's length in an instant, she pressed her temples.
How could she protect Daniel, dispatched to the North, from his clutches?
Her head ached from the unexpected dilemma.
[Oh, right. Manager. That reminds me—I have a question.]
[What is it? Anything, just say it.]
[Well, actually...]
[...Huh???]
Her expression froze.
The next day, Daniel, up early in the morning, headed to the castle where Rainer was staying.
"Oh. Sir Daniel."
Syril, whom he ran into by chance in front of the office, greeted him.
"What brings you here so early?"
"Perfect timing. I have a favor to ask of you, Lady Syril."
"A favor? What is it?"
Syril asked.
The man before her was a talent her lord coveted. She'd grant most any request.
"Could you hold onto this for me?"
"Huh?"
But she hadn't expected this.
When Daniel pulled out the mid-grade elixir from his pocket, Syril's face stiffened.
"W-wait a minute. Why are you giving this to me?"
Not drinking it was shocking enough, but handing it back to her?
What? Did it mean he had no intention of becoming her lord's subordinate—take it and go?
"Are you refusing the young lord's reward?"
"Of course not. I told you—I'm asking you to hold it."
"Store it, you mean? Why on earth?"
"No plans to drink it right now."
"Pardon?"
Why did this man keep saying things that made no sense?
"Wh-why not? Drinking this will raise your mana quality by at least one level. Not to mention advancing your realm."
"You're right. I'm at expert low right now, so mid-level at least for sure."
"You know that and still...?"
"That's exactly why I'm not drinking it. It'd be a loss."
"Pardon???"
Talking to this man was making her feel dumber by the second.
They spoke the same language—why couldn't she understand?
Realm advancement a loss?
Wasn't advancing one's realm as vital to a mage as life itself?
"Drinking this will improve my mana quality. New horizons await, unseen before."
"Naturally."
"But changing the scenery means changing the mana's state. That means my magic control, tuned to my current realm, will shift too."
"…!!!"
Finally, she grasped what he meant.
"So you're saying... advancing your realm might lower your magic precision, so you're delaying the elixir?"
"Yes."
Daniel nodded.
"My current mana control sense is perfectly tuned to 5th Circle expert low. Advancing will throw it off. I'm no genius—it'll take me ages to readjust. Naturally, my magic performance drops in the meantime. At least while I'm working, I can't afford lower efficiency, right?"
Syril stared at Daniel blankly.
Before the stunned woman, Daniel set down the mid-grade elixir.
"Realm advancement right now would be regression, not evolution for me. Once the barbarian subjugation is done and I have time, I'll take it then. So please hold it for me. I beg you."
Syril was dumbfounded. She had no choice.
Every mana user craved realm advancement like mad. To postpone it for work efficiency! What mage in the world could show such restraint?
She'd bet no one but the man before her.
'A mage with a knight's mind.'
Rainer's words echoed in her ears.
Her lord's judgment was spot on.
This mage before her was a knight.
A knight among knights, possessing a noble will and ironclad discipline no knight she'd seen could match!
Syril bowed her head to Daniel.
"I respect your choice."
"Respect? No need."
"I mean it. We'll hold it for you to honor Sir Daniel's decision. I'll inform the young lord on your behalf."
"Thank you. Please do."
With business done, Daniel turned to leave.
Syril watched his departing back with eyes full of admiration.
'Phew, good thing. I was worried she'd take offense. But who could refuse when it's about work efficiency?'
On the way back.
Having left the castle, Daniel stretched.
'Now I won't have to worry about losing the mid-grade elixir.'
Daniel was a mage too.
He wanted to down the mid-grade elixir right away, if he could.
Who wouldn't, with the promise of higher realms?
He wasn't that patient a man.
But this case was special.
'I've already got a marshmallow I can enjoy right now.'
Pausing, Daniel chanted a spell.
"Magic Missile."
-Flash!
A light arrow sliced through the air, precisely shattering an icicle over 20 meters away.
"Yeah. That's it."
Confirming his magic's vastly improved range and precision, Daniel smiled in satisfaction.
'The marshmallow story. Good thing I read it.'
Daniel was glad he was a reincarnator.
Do you know the marshmallow story?
It's a self-improvement fable based on a psychology experiment where kids who resist eating a marshmallow for a set time get a bonus one.
That's exactly Daniel's situation now.
After enduring a month of Titania's grueling training, he'd earned the reward of perfectly tuned mana control.
He'd only just started chewing, savoring, and enjoying that marshmallow.
And suddenly, another marshmallow—the mid-grade elixir—appeared.
Eating it now would bring higher realm gains. But...
'I haven't fully enjoyed the first marshmallow yet. Eating this one would make it vanish...?'
So what to do?
Daniel's conclusion was simple.
'Both. A mage has to do both like a proper mage!'
Savor the perfectly honed mana control marshmallow to the fullest now.
Then, when he's sick of it, eat the mid-grade elixir reward.
A plan that seemed greedy yet rational and efficient!
"Maybe plagiarize a self-improvement book later? Could be a hit."
Muttering a plan that could change this world's history in a casual tone, Daniel stretched again.
"Yawn. Better head back and rest. Getting sleepy."
Yawning, Daniel headed to his lodgings.
Without a thought for what results his choice to have both marshmallows might bring.