Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Sky City's New Materials
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Magit, on the Azelan Continent.
The magic city of Magit was vast enough to be called one of the empire's three great cities.
The imperial capital, Gaia.
The gate city, Bellaton.
The magic city, Magit.
Each of the three cities wielded absolute influence, distinguished by its own unique characteristics.
Among them, Magit was the land of mages, the very symbol of the Azelan Continent. At its heart lay a park accessible only to mages.
The park, large enough to hold five thousand people at once, was composed solely of grass and flowers, offering no place to hide. Yet, no one thought of it as a mere park.
This was because colorful lights drifted over the grass like living creatures, and the lawn itself was spread out like a grand magic circle.
It wasn't just for show; the magic circle was active, faintly glowing. Without a necklace to prove one's identity, entry into the park was impossible.
While the park itself was an essence of magic, its true significance lay in the central plaza.
A circular magic circle, ten meters in diameter and crafted from mithril, was the very reason this park was called the Sky Door.
The destination of this teleportation circle, the Sky Door, was a point 100 meters in the sky, from which a shadow was cast over the entire park.
A small-scale city floated there, looking as if it had been plucked from the ground.
Sky City.
It was an uncharted land, accessible only to mages belonging to an authorized magic guild.
How many people lived there, or what experiments were conducted, was unknown to the common folk.
Mages over nobles.
The origin of this now-popular saying was Sky City itself.
The structure of Sky City was simple.
About a hundred buildings were scattered around a central 10-story tower.
Most were laboratories, classrooms, and various warehouses, but on the very outskirts, there was also a prison that operated under its own laws.
Though their purposes differed, all the buildings shared one common feature: their doors and windows faced the central tower.
This demonstrated the significance of Sky City's Magic Tower.
The first floor of the Magic Tower covered twenty percent of Sky City's total area, its form tapering slightly with each ascending floor like a ten-tiered cake.
On which floor did a mage's laboratory and residence lie?
In Sky City, this was the measure of power.
And now.
A serious meeting was underway on the third floor of the Magic Tower.
“So you’re saying it’s not a fake?”
Under the sharp gazes of four individuals, Heros was sweating profusely.
‘I hate the third floor.’
His residence was on the second floor.
Though only a single floor apart, the difference in meaning was vast.
From the third floor upwards, residences became single-person rooms. Naturally, the number of mages decreased significantly. It was also from the third floor that one was officially recognized as a proper mage.
So, it was bound to be uncomfortable.
In truth, real power began on the fourth floor.
From the fourth floor, mages were given private laboratories, making it the primary goal for most.
As such, the mages on the third floor, just below, were the most fiercely competitive.
Moreover, since the mages of the third floor were responsible for managing the first and second floors, they detested any kind of trouble.
“Its effect is only thirty percent, but it is not a fake.”
“Thirty percent compared to the real thing? And you say it’s not a fake?”
“But the price is so low…”
Heros’s voice trailed off.
“I heard you have a personal relationship with the Mirje Trading Company. Did you perhaps take a bribe?”
“N-No! Absolutely not!”
Heros raised his head in alarm.
It seemed the ones in charge of this meeting—or rather, this investigation—had already branded him a criminal.
One wrong move here, and he could be expelled from the Magic Guild.
That was the worst-case scenario. Given the current atmosphere, it seemed he would, at the very least, be imprisoned for about a month.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
Heros collected himself and began to elaborate on the story he had already submitted in his report.
“I met the head of the Mirje Trading Company for magic tutoring. He was very interested in magic and said that while he couldn't now, he hoped to donate to our Sky City once he made a fortune. After about a month of lessons, he showed me three items he claimed to have acquired with great difficulty.”
Those three items were newly developed consumable magic materials.
Circle Roll.
Wisp.
Phantom Ice.
Circle Roll was an additive that momentarily amplified magical power, typically added at the final stage when deriving the results of high-level magic. Its development had spurred a surge in high-level magic experimentation.
Wisp, conversely, was a material that reduced magical power.
It was even more difficult to develop than Circle Roll because it lowered the effect while maintaining the already combined mana formula. It was mainly used when deriving the results of dangerous magic experiments.
Unlike the other two, Phantom Ice was a simple measurement tool.
It was a device that could measure magical power numerically. Mana would accumulate in a transparent, ice-shaped crystal. The interesting part was that the mana would build up from the bottom like water inside the crystal, which is how the mana level was measured.
Phantom Ice was the most widely used of the three. It could measure whether the mana levels of individual spells were balanced when multiple spells were combined.
It was an almost essential item, especially for magic circles, but its price was so steep that lower-ranking mages couldn't even dream of purchasing it.
“He said he was going to develop and sell new versions of these. He was certain he could make a lot of money. Last week, he gave me some as a gift, saying they were complete…”
The problem began with the three items now sitting on the table.
Half Circle Roll.
Half Wisp.
Half Ice.
The word “half” was appended to each name.
“I received a large quantity as a gift, so I simply shared them with my colleagues.”
This was the start of the problem.
One of the mages who had received the gift reported it.
—A mage named Heros gave me a new magic material as a gift, but I doubt its authenticity.
The three original magic materials were items that even third-floor mages found difficult to purchase. Thus, an investigation began immediately.
Fakes could cause serious problems, and the punishment was severe.
Heros was arrested, and a committee to punish swindlers was convened at once. But Heros began to plead his innocence.
“From what I’ve confirmed, they are definitely more than thirty percent effective. He said he would sell them at a reasonable price. I had no ulterior motives; I simply thought they would be of great help to our research and gave them as gifts.”
Ultimately, it all came down to their effectiveness.
“We will investigate ourselves. Your punishment will depend on the results.”
The four mages continued to press Heros with their stern, prickly tone.
Their words were filled with disbelief.
After all, these were things no one had ever managed to create before.
***
The beastkin Aisi placed the food Mrs. Merlan had prepared onto a tray and checked its scent.
It was a fleeting action, done so quickly that Merlan, who was in charge of the staff's meals, wouldn't notice. Certain there was no issue, she placed a glass of strawberry juice on the tray last.
She carried the food up to the third floor.
It was a restricted area that no one but the company head, Oh Min-jae, and herself could enter.
Even the cleaning was her sole responsibility.
Opening the door, she saw Oh Min-jae at his desk, diligently writing something.
“Time to eat.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
The room was furnished like a magic laboratory.
Various tools and instruments were crammed into the spacious room, making it feel crowded. The air was thick from experiments.
“I’ll air the room out a bit.”
“Okay.”
With permission, Aisi drew back the black curtains that blocked the sunlight. As she opened the window, letting in the clean air from outside, Oh Min-jae stopped his research and stretched.
“Aisi, thank you.”
As Oh Min-jae began to eat, Aisi took a step back and watched him. He finished his meal quickly, and just as she always did, Aisi swiftly cleared the empty dishes.
Carrying the tray back down to the first floor, Aisi joined the other employees for her meal.
There were about ten employees in the company, three of whom were away on business trips for market research, per Oh Min-jae’s orders.
“Is the Company Head just doing research again today?”
“Yes.”
“Does he love research that much? It’s hard to even get a glimpse of his face. And it’s not like we have much to do.”
The most talkative of the employees, a man in his late thirties, grumbled.
“If he loves research so much, he should have started a magic guild, not a trading company…”
As he said this, Merlan, who handled the food and cleaning, jabbed him in the side. Only then did the man realize that Aisi’s gaze had turned as fierce as a predator’s.
“S-Sorry.”
No complaints about the company head were to be made in front of Aisi.
Even the general manager, who was currently away on business, couldn't treat Aisi carelessly, let alone a junior employee.
“Just eat your meal.”
Her cold words froze the atmosphere.
The other employees shot resentful glares at the talkative man. As they continued their uncomfortable meal, someone entered the building.
‘Huh?’
Normally, an employee would have responded, but Aisi instinctively rose to her feet.
The scent and the sound of footsteps.
Remembering such things was a beastkin’s instinct.
“W-Welcome.”
Uncharacteristically, Aisi’s voice trembled.
“Where’s your brother?”
The visitor was Wang-sik.
Oh Min-jae, absorbed in his research, didn’t put down his pen even at the sound of a knock.
“Come in.”
He answered and refocused on his work, but unlike usual, he didn't hear Aisi's voice.
“Hm?”
He turned his head and saw Wang-sik standing there, smiling.
“Hyung!”
Thud!
Oh Min-jae, who had jumped up in his haste, banged his knee on the desk leg and hobbled awkwardly toward Wang-sik.
“Are you alright?”
Aisi, who had appeared out of nowhere, worriedly checked Oh Min-jae’s leg, forcing him to stop just a step away from Wang-sik.
“Hehe.”
“Looks like you’re doing well.”
Seeing how Aisi cared for Oh Min-jae as if he were her own, Wang-sik let go of a long-held worry.
“It’s been four months. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. My knee hurts a little, but that just happened. And until Aisi lets go, my body isn’t my own. She gets angry if I’m reckless with it. So, just a second.”
At his words, Aisi came to her senses and stepped back. Only then could Oh Min-jae wrap Wang-sik in a tight hug.
Wang-sik listened as Oh Min-jae recounted his work over the past four months.
He hadn't engaged in any typical trading company business. Instead, he had focused solely on market research and developing consumable magic items.
“It wasn’t too difficult. It was just an application of modern knowledge. The hard part was figuring out how to get the same effect with different tools. It’s not like I was trying to make a perfect product anyway.”
“Why did you choose magic materials of all things?”
“What we need is information about mages. So I approached it through magic items. They’ll probably come looking for me within a few days. Maybe even today.”
Oh Min-jae planned to actively build relationships with the mages.
“I’m going to start a collaborative project with the mages. In the process, I’ll get to see them use magic firsthand, and then I’ll be able to figure out the hidden principles.”
“Do mages even do things like that?”
“Only a few mages are wealthy. The money they get from the guild disappears after just one small experiment.”
Wang-sik listened in silence.
“They’re going to be interested in the items I’ve developed.”
“Aren’t the original materials made by mages too? If so, wouldn’t the Magic Guild hate this?”
“It’s a bit different. The items I made are based on ones created by alchemists, not the Magic Guild. Mages use them, but they complain about it, saying the alchemists are just lining their pockets using the mages’ knowledge.”
Mages and alchemists had a cooperative relationship, but they disliked each other.
“You’ve planned this out well.”
“Right? I’m smart, aren’t I?”
Knock. Knock.
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Aisi entered and looked at Oh Min-jae.
“People from the Magic Guild are here.”
At her words, Oh Min-jae stood up.
“See? What did I tell you?”
“Good. I’ll be nearby, so feel free to go all out.”
“Hehe. With you saying that, I’m feeling a little too confident.”
Guided by Aisi, Oh Min-jae headed down to the second-floor reception room.