25 – Episode 25
# 25
It was always the employees who had to clean up for the boss’s son.
Once again, the cleanup job for Bernard fell on Guard Hanson.
“This isn’t the best place for a conversation, magician. And knights. Won’t you accompany us to the castle?”
At first, Ian wanted to refuse Sir Hanson’s proposition. Considering the sins he was guilty of, accepting a proposal from a knight he’d meet for the first time felt off. It wasn’t worth causing a racket over a bath…
“I’m not particularly… “
“Hmm?”
When Ian revealed his intent to refuse, Sir Hanson and even Elder and Lucy looked at him with puzzled expressions.
“Um. Magician friend. I think it’s time you stopped that…”
“Yes, Ian, stop calling yourself a magician.”
“…? What do you mean?”
Ian realized. They thought he was still playing the role of a quirky magician.
Elder did not understand Ian, but Lucy, who had some experience dealing with him, realized Ian’s thoughts quickly.
Lucy whispered, “That nobleman performed the wizard summoning ritual. You responded to it.”
“Did I?”
“Responding to the wizard’s call means accepting the nobleman’s invitation.”
Ian nodded. It seemed he understood why Sir Hanson had found him odd. It did seem strange to accept a nobleman’s invitation and then start with an unrelated discussion.
‘Darn…’
There’s a lot of trouble involved in being a wizard. Ian thought as he emerged from the bathwater.
“Then I will take my leave.”
“What about you, sir? Are you not coming along?”
The knights and the Elder did not show any signs of moving.
The Elder chuckled and said, “We already mentioned we wouldn’t go. Something refused once can be refused twice as well.”
At the Elder’s words, Lord Hanson managed a wry smile.
There was a slight hint of disappointment as the knights didn’t follow, but it wasn’t a big deal. The important thing was the magician, not the knight.
“I will… also stay here.”
Lucy chose to stay at the inn as well. It seemed she felt uncomfortable with the thought of the lord discovering her presence.
“We will take good care of your young sister.”
At the Elder’s words, Lucy’s face blushed slightly.
Ian casually waved his hand and followed Lord Hanson toward the castle.
Upon arrival at the castle, Ian was directed to Lord Kaltz’s chamber.
“Thank you for accepting my invitation, magician.”
This was the first time Lord Kaltz had seen Ian, and he was slightly taken aback. The magician was younger than he thought, and more polite than expected.
He had expected some bizarre and willful man who could command a drake, but instead he found a neatly dressed young man. It was quite astonishing.
In reality, conventional summoners were not unlike what Lord Kaltz had imagined.
The essence required by a summoner pertains to the wilderness and the rugged life that breathes within it. Naturally, they need to become one with nature and in doing so, often lose their civilized attributes.
Perhaps a cave man appearance with a growing messy beard would be suitable.
“I am flattered.”
It was late, and after everything he had been through, Ian was quite exhausted. So he just brushed off the noble’s greeting.
Considering Ian’s status, it would not have been unusual to punish such rudeness, but the noble seemed unfazed by Ian’s demeanor.
Just look at his confident and arrogant attitude!
From Noble mtl dot com
Isn’t he such a magnificent magician!
“I heard you were staying at the inn, I wanted to offer a better place to sleep.”
“Thank you for your kindness. But, there is one thing lacking.”
“Something amiss?”
Ian asked, with a slight smile.
“I felt a bit grimy cutting my bath short back at the inn. Could I get some hot bath water?”
Baron of Kalz did not quite comprehend Ian’s desire to soak his body in hot water, but he simply waved it off.
He must have his magician’s quirks.
‘After all, a worthy magician who could control Drake.’
The Baron instructed his servants to prepare bath water for Ian and offered him a bed.
While Ian went to wash up, the Baron received a report from Duke Hanson.
“So, how did the magician and the monks feel?”
“It wasn’t a dangerous situation… but it was a good idea to bring the magician here.”
Duke Hanson summarized the circumstances when he met the magician.
Of course, he recounted every single juicy details about Bernard’s charming screw-ups. Because only a boss can scold the boss’s son.
“I told him not to behave so rashly…”
In the instance about Bernard’s mistakes during the ‘summoning of the magician’, the Baron barely managed to swallow his annoyance.
In truth, Baron of Kalz also didn’t know how to properly call for a magician as he wasn’t quite a prosperous nobleman to invite one.
Despite a magician being as revered as a god of war, it was only applicable on a battlefield with hundreds of soldiers tangled in combat.
Merely four knights and dozens of soldiers under Baron of Kalz, there was hardly a reason for them to summon such an esteemed magician.
However, the part about getting scared of the magician’s magic and bursting into tears was something he found difficult to bear.
“My poor upbringing is to blame…”
“Not at all, my lord. It’s my fault for not properly caring for the young master.”
Baron of Kalz shook his head at Duke Hanson’s words.
“How can I blame you, Duke Hanson. You’ve worked hard today. I’ll give you a day off tomorrow, so rest well.”
The reward for taking the boss’s son on a trip was a paid leave.
Duke Hanson, who heard the words ‘Don’t come in tomorrow, Hanson.’ from the boss, struggled to suppress his rising lips.
No, sir. I love going to work~
Baron Kaltz relentlessly chased away the Duke of Hanson, whose refusal was transparently obvious, and sank into his own thoughts. The child who will someday become the master of River Bill, Bernard. To the seasoned eyes of the Baron, Bernard was an heir with many shortcomings. The boy was so young that the Baron thought he didn’t know much… but as he grew older, wouldn’t he continue to make foolish mistakes? The Baron sighed secretly. Thinking, is there anything in this world that doesn’t go exactly as one wants, like a child?
Ian, who took a bath in warm water, slept a sweet, deep sleep and woke. The sun was high in the sky, but he didn’t know how long he’d slept. No one had come to wake him up. Most people were extremely reluctant to involve themselves with a mage. After a long sleep, Ian wandered around the spacious castle.
‘Is this a castle?’
Ian yawned as he looked around the castle. River Bill’s castle was small and insignificant. It was like a stone barrier made difficult for people to climb. Even so, it was so small, a group of about 100 soldiers could easily storm it. But no matter how small and insignificant, a castle was a castle. It could easily defeat a group of thieves, so the people of River Bill trusted their lord’s castle.
“Mage!”
Someone called Ian. It was the young lord Bernard. His eyes were swollen as if he had cried yesterday before going to sleep. The way he looked at Ian was awkward. He still seemed to fear magic.
“Did you sleep well?”
“…Yeah. I’m glad you seem to have slept well too.”
Bernard tried to be quite polite. He was still young but, he was indeed a young lord.
To be honest, he seemed a bit better than Lucy…
“Yesterday, I made a fool of myself. And I was rude to you. I apologize.”
Bernard blushed as he apologized for what had happened yesterday.
Ian was a little taken aback at this. He thought that because he was a noble, he would be stiff, but surprisingly, he was one who knew how to bow first, wasn’t he?
Ian recalled the Baron of Calz he saw yesterday. He, too, was quite a gentleman.
He seemed to have been well-educated at home by the Baron.
Even if a magician does something quirky, they receive forgiveness, but he couldn’t dare to act impudently in front of someone with good manners. He was just a lunatic.
Laughing, Ian said,
“Apology, you say. That’s absolutely unnecessary. Rather, I should apologize for showing you excessive magic.”
When Ian apologized, Bernard broke into a grin. The eccentric and arrogant magician was the first to bend and come in, which made him feel good. He was a straightforward lord.
“It’s my first time seeing a wizard’s magic. Magic… it’s much more incredible than I imagined.”
“…is that so?”
Ian cocked his head, unable to understand what Bernard meant.
He hadn’t shown any remarkable magic, had he? If he saw the 3rd level summoning spell, or the flame spell of Eredis, he would surely faint.
“If a talent like you could stay in River Hill, that would be very reassuring.”
Bernard suggested Ian settle down as casually as water flowing.
Receiving a scout proposal from a noble wasn’t something that only happened yesterday or today for a magician. Ian had to get used to it now.
“My cousin’s sister is twenty this year, and she is a very beautiful and lovely lady. If you’re interested, a marriage with my niece…”
“I kindly refuse.”
Ian politely declined Bernard’s suggestion.
This proposal, as natural as breathing, never got easier no matter how many times it happened. It was the same with Lucy, with Bernard. The marriage story was hastily brought up in an attempt to involve Ian.
“Okay. Take your time to think… Ah, you haven’t had your meal yet, have you? Let’s eat together.”
“Lady Soyeong too?”
“I also got up late.”
“…”
Aristocrats could afford to wake up late. The lord, Count Calz, probably had things to do, but Bernard really had nothing to do.
If one had to pick, maybe causing trouble while trying to learn the work of a lord?
Bernard led Ian toward the dining room.
With the cook having served breakfast-cum-lunch many times before, they efficiently laid out the food.
“Go ahead, eat as much as you like!”
Ian surveyed the array of food spread across the table.
Well-done fish, soup wafting the smell of onions, white and soft bread…
Certainly, the food was finer than that eaten by commoners.
However…
“How about it, tasty, huh? Our cook’s craftsmanship is really great!”
“I did my best.”
As the cook responded with a grin, Ian responded awkwardly.
The cooking was 2% short of satisfying Ian’s palate.
I mean, they’re aristocrats, aren’t they supposed to eat fancy, super-high-grade food?
The dishes placed before Ian were tasty because of high-quality, fresh ingredients not necessarily exquisite cooking skills.
From the start, whether roasted fish, onion soup, or white bread – how many diverse skills could be implemented?
To Ian, who remembered the modern food lifestyle, the culinary of the Middle Ages was too crude.
The food is always grilled! Almost no herbs are used! The seasoning is always salt!
And yet, it was considered the aristocrat’s meal, something commoners couldn’t afford because of scarcity.
‘If only I were reincarnated into a martial arts world…’
Even in the Middle Ages, the martial arts protagonists could fully enjoy sumptuous foods of medieval China…
Medieval western savages.
Ian took a depressed gulp of his wine.
White bread and wine. These were the only drugs permitted in the middle ages…
After finishing a binge meal, Ian went to meet Baron Kaltz. Not for any particular errand, rather for simple chatter.
Ian, being an invited guest through the wizard invitation, and Baron Kaltz, the owner of River Bill.
“So, the wizard, how was River Bill?”
“It’s a wonderful place.”
“I have a niece, and now she’s twenty this year…”
“I have no plans to marry.”
Finishing the medieval-style greeting (read constant marriage proposals), the Baron and Ian had a trivial conversation.
“You are a disciple of wizard Eledis?”
“That’s correct.”
“I’ve heard about The Morning Star of Drawald.”
Ian and the Baron, neither expecting anything from the other, enjoyed a pleasant and fruitful conversation.
The Baron picked up bits of magical knowledge, and Ian heard about the empire’s news.
“Your master must have gone south.”
“There’s a magical university there.”
The Baron reacted with surprise. He didn’t know Eledis had gone to a magical university.
He had a different reason to guess Eledis went south.
“I thought he was headed for the Farghar Duchy or the Rucksland Duchy.”
“And why is that?”
Now it was Ian’s turn to be surprised.
The Baron calmly explained.
“The atmosphere between the two dukes is unusual.”
“You mean the atmosphere…”
“The Duke of Farghar seems to be coveting Rucksland.”
Ian understood immediately.
War.
In this medieval fantasy world, big and small wars constantly broke out. From wars between kingdoms to conflicts among nobles.
Wars between kingdoms rarely erupted. There simply weren’t many nobles with sufficient power to be called kings.
However, the nobles were constantly at war with each other.
The noble class would fight amongst themselves to establish their rank, and the most powerful one would earn the title of a king, forcing all others to surrender.
Both the Duke of Parugar and the Duke of Roxlan were members of the five great nobilities, known as the imperial Five Dukes.
In other words, they were both dukes of the same holy empire.
Yet, for a gentleman of that stature, the empire was often out of their sight.
“But if we recklessly wage war, the emperor won’t stand still.”
“Well, the Duke of Parugar must have some plan.”
Although the detailed situation was not yet known, hearing the Baron’s words, it seemed like a war would break out soon.
If a war were to break out, the demand for war magicians would surge.
“Are you also headed south?”
“No, I’m going east.”
The Baro found it somewhat odd that the magician Ian wasn’t heading to the battlefield. However, he accepted the fact that not all magicians reveled in war.
“You must be seeking mysteries.”
“Yes, I still lack knowledge.”
The Baron nodded his head and called for the steward, “Bring us the item.”
“Immediately, my Lord.”
Shortly after, the elderly steward brought a luxurious wooden box.
When the steward opened the box, out came a stick, similar to a scepter.
“What is this?”
Upon Ian’s question, the Baron smiled and said, “This is a gift for you.”
Ian accepted the staff that the steward offered.
Standing with the Staff, he indeed looked more like a wizard.
“It was once used by a great master of the air. Its name is the Wind Walker.”
Ian gripped the staff in his hand.
However, instead of feeling the surging magical powers from within the staff, he felt as though he just got another prop for his magician’s cosplay.
That’s what a staff is. Isn’t it just for lesser fatigue during journeys? There was no difference even if it is a magician’s staff.
“It must be a reward for teaching ‘Summon a Wizard’ to my son.”
Technically though, it was more of a bribe to ensure not causing a ruckus in River Ville…
The wizard’s staff held no value to the viscount, so he casually presented it as a gift to Ian.
Ian was not sure what this staff did, but he felt good about having received a gift.
“Thank you, Viscount. I’ll make good use of it in honor of you.”
“If you do, that’s good for me.”
The viscount flashed a sly smile.
If Wizard Ian becomes a celebrity someday, the name of the generous Viscount Kaltz would also be known. That would attract more merchants and knights to River Ville!
The Viscount and Ian exchanged smiles and shook hands.
The gift-giving ceremony was satisfactory for both parties.