A Couple of Classes

The office door opened.

A middle-aged man waited for us inside.

It was Count Arno.

But he looked nothing like I had imagined.

I had expected a stern, sharp figure, yet the man before me was plump and warm-looking, with a neatly trimmed mustache and streaks of gray in his hair.

Focus.

For a moment, his gentle appearance almost made me lower my guard.

I had to stay sharp.

Count Arno might be deliberately projecting this image.

“I greet the Count.”

“Ah, we finally meet. So you are the famous mage Theo? You seem quite popular in the Sellevan Barony.”

“You flatter me.”

I quickly bowed my head, cutting the conversation short.

The Count’s gaze swept over me briefly.

“Hmm. Sellevan spoke very highly of you. Is it true? Speak honestly.”

“It was merely good fortune.”

“Fortune? I doubt that. Speak freely. Or perhaps you are hiding some special ability? Something that would surprise everyone.”

His tone was friendly, laced with jest.

One wrong move and I could easily be drawn in.

Meanwhile, the Count picked up a document from his desk.

My detailed information was written all over it.

“You used to work as a mage for a slave trader, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠then suddenly saved a village and performed good deeds? After that came the Ring of Purification, the Sunogi, and potions?”

He had investigated every step of my past, even my time employed by the slave trader.

A chill ran down my spine.

“Did you gain some kind of enlightenment after brushing against death? Or perhaps… did you obtain some ancient hidden secret?”

“That would be—”

“Well, I thought as much. In any case, it does not matter. What matters is not the past, but the present.”

He closed the document.

Then, his expression turned serious, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor.

Talking with Count Arno felt like having the air sucked out of the room.

“Regardless of anything else, the technique of imbuing magic into potions that you supposedly possess is quite ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠intriguing.”

I gave no reply.

He was still only guessing.

I could neither confirm nor deny it.

Yet he continued without pause.

“I will get straight to the point. I have a proposal for you.”

“A proposal?”

“How about working in our county? We will treat you well.”

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

I had not expected this exact offer, but it seemed the lord’s personality changed what he deemed important.

But making such an offer… is this even allowed?

According to everything I knew, this would be heavily criticized even among nobles.

It was a shameless breach of professional ethics.

Attempting to poach talent already contracted to another noble.

Yet Count Arno acted as if such concerns did not exist.

Does he have something to rely on?

It was not simply because his title was Count.

This kind of act drew condemnation regardless of rank.

It was a blow to one’s honor.

For nobles who lived and died by honor, it was a fatal move.

Therefore, he would never do this unless he had something to fall back on.

For now, I could not guess his reason.

But I knew one thing: I did not need to accept this offer.

I had a perfectly good excuse.

“I am sorry, but—”

“Of course, not right now. You still have a contract with Baron Sellevan.”

I felt a brief sense of relief at the Count’s words.

But it did not last.

“I heard you came to learn 2nd-class magic. I will take care of that. I will make sure you can use every magic shop and library in the territory as you please.”

“That is—”

“I will also provide research facilities… and yes! Unlimited materials as well.”

It was a tempting offer.

Especially after seeing the insane price of a single spellbook.

But this was clearly a trap.

This is too much…

Far too generous.

Even if the value of attribute-infused potions was high, I doubted it warranted this level of support.

Objectively speaking, I was only a 2nd-class mage.

Then… he wants something more?

There had to be something he had not said yet.

Every offer like this came with a price.

And it would be a heavy one.

“Count.”

“Hmm? What, you do not like the proposal?”

“No, it is just… is this not too much kindness?”

I asked directly.

The Count burst into laughter.

But his eyes were not smiling.

“I simply thought your talent was too valuable to waste.”

“Talent… you say?”

“Yes. To be honest, Arthur is not here, so I can speak freely…”

Count Arno glanced toward the door as if checking for listeners.

Then he lowered his voice like he was sharing a secret.

“Honestly, your abilities are quite impressive. These days, mages refuse to do anything that actually benefits the territory. They only waste gold! They lack creativity, creativity for the sake of the land.”

It seemed the Count had accumulated quite a bit of frustration with the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mages he had hired before.

But even this could be an act.

“Besides, you are still young, are you not? Yet you reached 2nd class without any patronage. Frankly, you are exactly the kind of talent I find appealing.”

“Is that… so?”

“It is. Of course, you are a bit late, but with my support, your situation will change completely. You could raise your class by two in no time… and even aim for the position of chief mage in our territory. I can guarantee that.”

Count Arno.

His tongue was truly an art.

At first glance, it sounded like he was whispering an easily reachable dream, but for ordinary mages, that was far from the truth.

Raising magic class by two? Are you joking?

Memories of my days as a slave trader’s mage ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠surged up, and I felt a sudden surge of irritation.

Countless mages struggled in poverty their entire lives because they could not advance even one class.

Yet he spoke of such achievements so casually that it left a bad taste in my mouth.

Well… for me right now, it is certainly an attractive offer.

Objectively, there was nothing wrong with what he said.

Just as the Count claimed, I was confident I could raise my class by two relatively quickly.

What I needed now was time and money.

In other words, patronage.

With proper support, I would not have to exhaust myself crafting and selling items.

After studying my expression, Count Arno returned to his serious demeanor, driving the point home.

His timing and pacing were masterful.

He was a Count for a reason.

“Especially in the current situation, we need someone with talent like yours.”

The Count’s expression grew grave.

“You know that undead appearances are increasing, correct?”

“Yes. I am well aware.”

“I heard your Ring of Purification has been a great help. However…”

His voice trailed off.

I could read his intention clearly.

“You mean it is insufficient.”

“You are quite perceptive. You are right. We need something more powerful. Especially in the potion field, of course, but help in other areas would also be welcome.”

Now everything made sense.

The real reason the Count had summoned me.

And why he was offering such boundless generosity.

Weapon manufacturing, imbuing magic into special potions, and even accessory enchantment.

He intended to squeeze every last drop out of me.

“For now… I will think about it.”

“Good. It is only a proposal, after all. I will not drag you underground and force you to work just because you refuse, will I? Hahahaha!”

“Of course not. Ha, hahaha.”

Count Arno laughed heartily.

I could feel it.

This was the kind of man he was.

Despite his warm appearance, he was thorough and meticulous.

The type who would obtain what he wanted, one way or another.

This is going to be troublesome.

I felt a surge of frustration.

But in a society bound by strict class hierarchy, there was nothing I could do.

Not yet.

For now, I had to bow my head.

* * *

When we left the office, Arthur was waiting and handed me a small box.

Inside was a 2nd-class spellbook.

“A gift. It seems the Count has taken quite a liking to you.”

I bowed my head at the Count’s words.

Refusing his proposal had just become even harder.

This is what nobles are like…

Arbitrary.

Yet thorough.

This gift was nothing but a shackle.

And it was one I could not refuse.

But Arthur smirked as if he found the situation amusing.

“Your thoughts are written all over your face. But do not worry and accept it. The Count is not the type to force things as much as you might think. He is simply planting seeds.”

Arthur smiled.

Yet his words only made me more uneasy.

He means to make it impossible to refuse without needing to force anything.

The nobles’ methods were predictable.

Carrot and stick.

Sweet offers mixed with hidden threats.

“Theo-nim.”

Lena tugged lightly at my sleeve, looking anxious.

She had also sensed that the situation was far from ordinary.

But even this gift was something I could not refuse right now.

Because I was only a 2nd-class mage.

I need to get stronger. How am I supposed to live like this?

I clenched my teeth.

I had thought it would be enough to earn some money and protect the people around me.

But that had been a mistake.

In a class-based society, such complacent thinking would not let me survive.

My meeting with Count Arno had driven that fact home with brutal clarity.

“I am grateful for the Count’s kindness.”

“A wise choice.”

“Follow me. The Count wishes to show you our territory’s pride, the Magic Cannon Unit.”

“The Magic Cannon Unit?”

“You will understand when you see it. To even show you this… I truly cannot fathom the Count’s intentions.”

Arthur grumbled, yet he followed the Count’s orders.

As I followed him, I saw the Magic Cannon Unit in training.

At the same time, a new message appeared.

This time, it even analyzed the mana circuits and added new blueprints.

They seemed to be types of security magic.

They were probably part of one of the Count’s castle’s key facilities.

“Is that a magic cannon? It can move… I see.”

My mouth fell open.

These were not the massive magic cannons fixed to the walls.

They were mounted on mana-powered carriages.

Their mobility was on an entirely different level from the Sellevan Barony’s.

They can attack while moving…

Once I recognized the mobile magic cannons, the system captured information about them as well.

It analyzed even the mana circuits in greater detail.