Wizard Stone - Chapter 714



Only Krnovel

714. Look outside

Fire that starts from a stone has the property of gathering people together. More people gather at night.

These are the words of the fortune-teller Harvey.

Borrowing the old woman’s words, Badam could be said to be a person who sees the kingdom in a very dark light. It is a pitch-black darkness that makes it impossible to see even an inch ahead.

It is natural to seek light in such darkness.

Of course… … .

The problem is that it doesn’t seem that dark. At least, it doesn’t seem that dark to me.

Is it really night? Or is Badam blind?

Or else… … .

“Your Highness?”

“So, what do you think should change?”

“It has to change like an empire.”

“Like the Empire. I don’t know much about the schools in the Empire. How are the magic schools in the Empire different from those in the Kingdom?”

“It’s so different that I don’t know where to start. But the biggest difference is tuition.”

“Tuition is cheaper than in the kingdom?”

“Generally speaking, yes. Basically, it’s cheap, and there’s a good scholarship system. Some places don’t even charge tuition.”

“… … So, is it working?”

“They said it was possible. I think it’s because there are a lot of sponsors and they also run a separate business.”

“business?”

“Yes. The Imperial Magic School operates separately. The professors develop magical items and actively encourage students to do so. Many of the assignments and papers are related to that.”

“her.”

Both professors and students are working hard to make money.

“It’s not a school, it’s more like a tower. Just looking at it, you can tell.”

“Actually, it’s not that different. Just as magic tower wizards and family magicians tend to stick together, so do magic school graduates. That’s why graduates often support their schools. No magician would want their school to fall behind other schools or magic towers.”

“I think so.”

Certainly, if that’s the case, it makes sense that they would give a lot of support.

At the same time, it seemed impossible in the kingdom. That was understandable, since there was only one magic school in the kingdom.

Here, the support that Badam mentioned, such as the slave contract, will also play a part. Most of the wizards who graduated from the Kingdom Magic School ended up in noble families.

Now that I think about it, it wasn’t for nothing that they said Badam was in total chaos.

“It certainly seems like it would be a good idea to lower the tuition a bit. It might also be a good idea to make it easier to get in, but harder to graduate.”

“That’s exactly what the Imperial Magic School aims for. It’s the opposite of the Magic Tower, which was difficult to enter from the start. Family magicians are chosen by the heavens, and Magic Tower magicians are born with talent, but the Magic School is open to everyone. You decide your own fate.”

“That’s a very nice thing to say.”

“Haha. That’s not all.”

Badam continued his explanation with excitement.

It’s only been a few days since I saw Badam, but now I feel like I’ve finally seen the real him. Anyone who sees him can tell that he’s interested in this topic.

The explanation was that detailed and the description was vivid.

As if I were talking about something I actually saw.

“I’m sorry to ask you this question so suddenly, but have you ever been to the Empire?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I went there for a few years with the support of the school. Well, it was called the support of the school, but in reality it was more like personal support from the teacher.”

“Master?”

“Oh, you mean Perry Myon.”

“Were you the headmaster’s disciple?”

“Yes. Of course, I am one of the many disciples.”

… … Now I see that it is neither a snake nor a blind person.

If it was a snake, it would be at least as big as a giant snake in the zelkova forest, and if it was a blind person, it would be at least as blind as someone who was blinded by the sun.

In a word, it has become more uncomfortable.

However, the story itself became somewhat interesting. If it had been a mere professor, the story would have ended as a dream, but it suddenly became realistic.

“What do you think? Can the Kingdom be transformed like the Imperial School I mentioned earlier?”

“It is quite possible. The kingdom has its own advantages.”

“What is that?”

“It’s a monster.”

“Monster?”

“Yes. As you know, there are no monsters in the Empire. You can only see them if you cross the border or the neighboring kingdoms. However, in the Kingdom, monsters are a nuisance. I think we should actively utilize and promote that.”

“You can catch monsters when you come to the kingdom, right?”

“That’s right. Of course, it would be a priority to first reach a level similar to that of schools in the empire. Then, wouldn’t they come to study abroad and stuff?”

“Study abroad? In the empire?”

“yes.”

Studying abroad from an empire to a kingdom.

It seems that Badam wants to go beyond changing the magic school and compete with other schools in the empire.

The dream was bigger than I thought.

“Is that possible? If you simply want to catch a monster, you can go to the border. Why would you bother coming all the way to the kingdom?”

“If the monsters themselves are the goal… then it is possible. Isn’t the kingdom a monster paradise, with monsters like ice trolls and lizardmen living together within a distance of just two weeks?”

“… …Can you say we live together like that?”

“From the Imperial perspective, yes. The Empire would have to travel at least several months to catch ice trolls and go hunt lizardmen. Of course, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to see them even if they go.”

“hmm.”

Certainly, from that perspective, it seems like there might be an advantage. I had heard that the empire was large, but I didn’t think it would be that big.

When I heard the analogy between the ice troll and the lizardman, I understood it right away.

“When I think about it that way, it seems like a monster paradise.”

“Actually, the kingdom is a strange place, not only when you look at the monsters but also just the region itself.”

“What’s so strange?”

“It’s amazing. In such a small land, you have places like Lacazette and Segemors. It’s like a miniature empire.”

“hmm.”

When I hear it, it seems a bit strange.

Of course, that’s all. I haven’t been to the empire myself, so I don’t really get it.

However, the argument that monsters can be an advantage is now clearly understood.

As for the magic stone supply that Beek mentioned, it seemed better to have monsters than not to have any.

It seemed as if monsters could also be a resource, just like the kobolds in the northern mines of Arpen were left there on purpose.

That is, if only it was managed well.

Rather than monsters, I’m more worried about the students coming from the empire.

Wizards from the Empire are usually pretty proud, but I had no idea how they would act when they came to the kingdom.

I think it would be good if it were just those students… … .

“Ah. David said he wanted to talk to you about something earlier. Do you have any idea?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know.”

“… … That one, has cooled down.”

“I drink cold tea just fine. That’s okay.”

This side is not okay.

It was hot just a moment ago, but it cooled down as soon as the topic of students was brought up.

At this point, it seems like they just aren’t interested.

“It’s still delicious even when it’s cold.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Is it because I heard the story about Badam?

A similar topic kept coming to my mind for three days.

The path forward for magic schools, empires and kingdoms, the use of monsters, the problems that arise with the rise of mercenary magicians, and so on.

But of all of them, the thing I thought about the longest was about myself.

Up until now, I just wanted to become stronger.

I wanted to become strong so I wouldn’t starve, wouldn’t get shot by arrows, and protect the people around me.

To be precise, I wanted to achieve them through magic.

No, I did it. At this point, I think we can say that we’ve almost reached our goal.

So is that so?

At some point, I started looking outside instead of inside.

The recent acceptance of bothersome tasks such as administering graduation exams and doing things that were not requested are proof of this.

At first, I thought it was simply a sense of responsibility.

I think he started this because he couldn’t just sit by and watch those who started to take an interest in mercenary magicians because of him.

But it wasn’t.

Now that I look back, I realize that all I wanted to do was change my surroundings, and by extension, my kingdom.

And he had that power.

It’s not that it’s burdensome. The reason I turned down Alcon’s offer was because I didn’t want to be just a signboard.

In other words, the change of kingdom itself is in favor.

If not, they wouldn’t have brought in mercenaries for the graduation exam and promised the students mercenary badges.

I hope that there will be a lot more mercenary magicians, and furthermore, I hope that the perception of mercenaries will change.

The reason I hope so is simple.

Because I’m a former mercenary.

Although he is a wizard, he is also a mercenary.

This is similar to the logic that Badam mentioned about graduates supporting their alma mater.

okay.

If we have to classify them by affiliation, we can say they are mercenaries.

To be exact, he is a mercenary and a battle magician.

That’s why he wanted to improve their treatment, because he was essentially their representative.

From the moment they acknowledged and followed it, it became like that.

I don’t hate that fact either.

Rather than buying a fief and becoming its lord or taking on disciples and building a pagoda, it seemed better to act as their representative.

This is truly a method fit for a wanderer.

No, should I say it suits the fire that started from the stone?

anyway.

As long as they followed, they had to play a role that suited them.

That’s why, after much thought, I went to find Backman.

“Alcon and Lilar?”

“Yes. Where are you now?”

“Well, why are they looking?”

“I think we need to talk again. With Lilar, to be exact.”

In fact, I knew the magic of the students the moment I saw it.

That means that support magic will be more effective than offensive magic when doing mercenary work.

Attack magic could be replaced with scrolls, but support magic could not.

“I wanted to meet you and ask you something. What was it like when you worked as a mercenary in the Empire?”

“… … Are you okay? I heard you rejected me once.”

“What, you’re saying you won’t see me?”

“No. Of course they’ll say they’ll see it. When I asked if it was okay, I was referring to you.”

“What can I do?”

A thirsty person should dig a well.

What I regret right now is this.

“So, can you find it?”

“It shouldn’t be hard to find. He’s probably in the Mercenary Guild in Ponche right now. What exactly should I tell him?”

“I just wanted to meet you. I have something to tell you.”

“Okay, I see. Oh, I have something to say too.”

“What do you want to say?”

“Yes. Thanks to you, the contract was concluded.”

“That potion business?”

“That’s right.”

“It’s already been that long? It feels like it’s only been two months since we talked about it then.”

“Two months should be enough. You don’t think people would go back and forth to Suez, do you?”

Roy was about to ask if that was the case, but that wasn’t what was important right now.

No, I was curious, but something more important came out of Backman’s mouth.

“Of course, he is returning now. The potion maker is with him.”

“Who is it? Ramah?”

“That’s right. I heard he’s coming to Arpen.”

Roy felt dizzy.

Rama is coming.