Morning had just dawned in the North.
Before Gray Castle, where the Grand Duke of the North resided—
Amid the swirling white snow, a robed figure was shouting for Walter at the top of his lungs.
“Is-Is the Grand Duke inside?!”
His name was Raphael Mashaldor.
He was a mage on the verge of reaching the Fifth Circle and the master of the Blue Magic Tower, one of only five Magic Towers on the continent.
But why had such an exalted mage come looking for the Grand Duke of the North so early in the morning?
Before that question could be answered—
—CREEEAK, RUMBLE.
The gates of Gray Castle opened, and the castle’s maids came out to receive him.
—STEP.
At their head stood a female knight with cold silver hair and a sword at her waist.
Her name was Lenin Calhart, the Grand Duke of the North’s bodyguard knight.
As though she had known Raphael would come, she guided him inside with practiced ease.
“I will escort you inside, Master Raphael.”
They passed through the corridor and had barely reached the reception room when—
“Ah, you have arrived.”
A man with black hair and golden eyes greeted him.
He wore the black fur coat that could be called the symbol of the Grand Duke of the North.
Walter swept a hand toward the empty seat opposite him.
“Please, have a seat first.”
“Y-Yes. Thank you.”
Raphael hurriedly sat down.
Only after confirming that Raphael was seated did Walter elegantly pour the tea and ask—
“Now then, what brings you all the way here so early in the morning, Master Raphael?”
Despite the unexpected guest, his voice was perfectly calm, as though he had known exactly who would come.
Raphael, however, seemed far too desperate to notice.
“Your Grace! What in the world was that yesterday......?”
Raphael spoke urgently the moment he sat down.
In stark contrast, Walter firmly cut him off with a pleasant smile.
“Did I not tell you?”
“Th-That was......”
“That it was simply a gift.”
A brief silence settled over the reception room.
Surprisingly, Walter was the one who broke it.
He smiled gently at Raphael and spoke.
“Come to think of it, you said there was a regular Magic Tower meeting today, correct?”
“......”
“And yet you came all this way to see me despite that.”
At the same time, Walter’s golden eyes gleamed sharply.
“May I take that to mean the gift I sent possessed that much ‘value’?”
—SHIMMER....
A moment later—
—SNAP.
He snapped his fingers and summoned his secretary.
“Lenin. Bring what we prepared.”
As though she had been waiting for the order, Lenin stepped forward.
—THUD.
She set the case she had been holding with both hands on the table.
Then—
—CLICK...!
She slowly opened it.
Inside was none other than—
A set of white wooden boxes made from cypress.
They were fashioned from a noticeably different material than the wooden box Raphael had seen the previous day.
Their exteriors were also covered in elaborate golden decorations.
They looked like extravagant luxury goods.
“These are......”
Raphael looked back and forth between the wooden boxes and Walter.
There were ten boxes in total.
The number matched the number of representatives attending the regular Magic Tower meeting.
Walter smiled gently.
“They are gifts I prepared just in case. But what a coincidence.”
“......”
“As it happens—purely by chance, of course—you are scheduled to attend today’s regular Magic Tower meeting, are you not?”
Walter subtly emphasized “as it happens” and “purely by chance” as he looked at him.
Raphael flinched faintly and looked between Walter and the wooden boxes.
“......!”
Unless he was a fool, he could understand.
Walter Levior had known from the very beginning that Raphael would come.
No. It would be more accurate to say he had been certain of it.
And his objective was—
“You...... intend to trade not only with the Blue Magic Tower, but with all five Magic Towers.”
Raphael looked at Walter as he spoke.
Walter gave a faint laugh and shrugged.
“The more customers, the better.”
“......And the price of these gifts?”
Yesterday’s first dose had been a gift.
Walter had called today’s offerings gifts as well, but that was merely in name.
There had to be another purpose hidden beneath it.
“Just as expected of you, Master Raphael. I appreciate how quickly you understand.”
Walter reached inside his coat and pulled out the letters he had prepared in advance.
Then he slowly began to speak.
“I will not ask for money immediately.”
“Then these are......”
“Invitations.”
“......Invitations?”
Walter picked up one of the letters.
“Invitations to bring our valued customers to the North.”
The price of the gifts was to draw the Masters of the Magic Towers and the other representatives into the North.
If Raphael refused, it was obvious that he would receive no further share in the future.
But now that he had personally experienced the effects—
“Very well. I will make certain they receive them.”
There was no possibility that he would reject the proposal.
Walter seemed satisfied by Raphael’s answer.
He handed over the invitation in his hand with a mocking smile.
“Then I leave it in your capable hands, Master Raphael.”
The fireplace blazed within the reception room.
Like the red sparks drifting through the air—
Walter’s golden eyes burned, gleaming with greed.
***
The regular Magic Tower meeting.
Held roughly once every six months, it was a forum where the five Magic Towers exchanged the results of their research and accomplishments.
At the same time, because so many mages gathered there alongside the Masters of the Magic Towers—
Not only members of the Magic Towers, but renowned nobles such as the mage families of the royal capital also attended.
Those born with talent for mana were rare to begin with, and among them, those capable of wielding magic were rarer still.
As a result, the standing of a house within the kingdom was determined not only by its bloodline, but also by how many mages it possessed and how many mages from the Magic Towers it had formed ties with.
At least in the present age, mages were the elite of the elite among skilled professionals, individuals who possessed immense value as human resources.
Thus, the regular Magic Tower meeting, where most of them gathered, was august and magnificent.
‘......How dull.’
And utterly tedious.
Raphael pressed firmly against his brow and stared at the mage presenting onstage.
The hall was reminiscent of an enormous opera house.
Dozens of famous figures, including the Masters of the Magic Towers and members of mage families, were all watching the mage onstage.
‘Is it the Red Magic Tower’s turn now?’
“Thus, provided a temperature of at least 350 degrees and sufficient pressure, in theory......”
But as was true of Raphael, most of the mages were barely paying attention to the presentation.
That was only natural.
The field of magical studies had entered a period of stagnation long ago.
As a result, representatives of the caliber of a Master of the Magic Tower were forced to hear presentations similar to things they had already heard dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times.
The fact that Raphael was the youngest of the Masters of the Magic Towers only made matters worse.
Unless someone made a groundbreaking discovery capable of leaving a mark on the world of magic—
The regular Magic Tower meeting was little more than a dreary obligation to remain in one’s seat.
Yet refusing to attend could earn the displeasure of allied nobles or even the kingdom itself, so it had become a place where one appeared, endured the hours, and killed time.
That was what the regular Magic Tower meeting had become.
In any case, time passed, and at last, the Blue Magic Tower’s turn arrived.
Raphael, who had remained seated until then, rose to his feet.
—STEP.
With measured steps, Raphael, Master of the Blue Magic Tower, climbed onto the stage and slowly began to speak.
“Then I, Raphael Mashaldor of the Blue Magic Tower, will begin my presentation on .”
Raphael’s presentation proceeded smoothly.
That was only natural, as he was the master representing an entire Magic Tower and a learned mage standing on the verge of the Fifth Circle.
To begin with the conclusion, however, his presentation was thoroughly ordinary—nothing more and nothing less.
Roughly an hour later, Raphael’s presentation came to an end.
“This concludes my research presentation on . Thank you.”
The presentation was over.
All that remained was for him to leave the stage.
But at that moment—
Raphael’s eyes flashed as brightly as his scalp.
Raphael had never expected much from the presentation in the first place.
Why would a man who had already risen to the position of Master of a Magic Tower need to stand before other mages and present his work?
Honestly, with his seniority, he could have simply ordered any mage beneath him to take the stage.
And yet he had personally come forward for one reason.
To unveil Walter’s elixir.
Raphael smoothly continued.
“Thank you all for listening to such a long presentation. Above all, it has been an honor to exchange opinions with such exalted practitioners who walk the path of magic. I have long awaited this glorious occasion... and so, modest though they may be, I have prepared gifts for all of you.”
At the same time—
—CLAP, CLAP.
The instant he lightly clapped his hands, mages from the Blue Magic Tower swiftly placed glasses filled with red wine before the Masters of the Magic Towers and the other representatives.
With a clack, they set down a luxurious wooden box adorned with golden decorations beside each glass.
“Raphael, these are......”
The Master of the Red Magic Tower looked back and forth between the wooden box and the wineglass before him as he asked.
Raphael laughed heartily and spread his hands.
“They are nothing special. They are ‘health supplements’ made in the North. I thought everyone might be tired after such a long meeting, so I prepared them.”
“Oh......”
—CLICK.
The representatives opened their wooden boxes.
Inside each one was a crystal radiating a brilliant blue light.
Soft exclamations of admiration rose throughout the hall at the sight.
“Please, help yourselves.”
At Raphael’s words, the representatives—already restless after enduring so many tedious presentations—placed the medicine into their mouths one after another without the slightest suspicion.
Raphael merely smiled.
He said nothing.
Only after every representative had swallowed the ‘health supplement’ did he speak again.
“Then I will take my leave. I will see you all tomorrow.”
Raphael bowed and left the hall.
At the time, none of them knew.
That the following day, they would seek Raphael out on their own feet.
***
How much time passed after that?
The very next morning—
Before Raphael’s room—
—BANG, BANG!
“R-Raphael! Are you in there? It is I, the Master of the Red Magic Tower!”
A group of mages waited for him anxiously.
They were all Masters of the Magic Towers or representatives attending the regular meeting.
Under ordinary circumstances, they would never have knocked.
They would sooner have died than abandon their dignity, instead clearing their throats politely until the other person emerged.
This time, however, things were different.
They knocked over and over as they shouted Raphael’s name.
“Raphael! Raphael? Are you in there?!”
Their voices grew more urgent with each passing moment.
A short while later—
—CLICK.
The door opened, and Raphael appeared.
“What is all this......? Ah, Master of the Red Magic Tower. And everyone else as well.”
Raphael feigned ignorance as he looked at the people gathered before his room and tilted his head.
“What brings all of you here so early in the morning?”
The Master of the Red Magic Tower and the others exchanged unsteady glances.
At last, Chris, the Master of the Golden Magic Tower, reluctantly stepped forward.
He cleared his throat, then whispered into Raphael’s ear.
“Th-That, you see. The one you gave us after your presentation yesterday......”
“Ah, do you mean Northmedi?”
Northmedi.
That was the name Walter had given him when he handed over the additional gifts.
Chris flinched and nodded.
“Yes! That. Do you perhaps... have any more?”
“......Pardon?”
“Oh, it is nothing. It merely happens to fit my research topic, and I believe it may be worth studying!”
Chris hurriedly made excuses and began rambling.
At this moment, not only he, but everyone around him—
Had cast dignity aside.
No. Dignity had become a luxury.
After all, every one of them had personally experienced that ‘miracle’ that morning.
Mages—beings more exalted and great than anyone else.
But even they could not escape the passage of time.
For mages who had entered middle age, a decline in ability was only natural.
And yet, what was this?
That morning, their drooping mana circuits had stood ramrod-straight.
Just as they had in their twenties.
Most importantly, had their other ‘thing’ not stood ramrod-straight as well?!
This was nothing less than a blessing—no, a divine miracle.
And because everyone present was living proof of that miracle—
Chris and all the others stared only at Raphael with anxious eyes.
“As for that......”
Though he knew perfectly well, Raphael pretended ignorance.
He gazed into the distance and drew out the silence.
Yes. Grow more anxious. Crave it more!
—GULP!
At last, Raphael slowly spoke.
“Unfortunately, there is no Northmedi left.”
At his words, everyone flinched, their disappointment plain to see.
Regretful sighs of “Ahh...” even rose here and there.
But at that moment—
“Ah, now that I think about it, there may be more.”
A single sentence stoked the final spark.
“......?!”
Hope flashed through their eyes.
Hope became anticipation, and anticipation became greed, gleaming within them.
Raphael swept his gaze around the group and lowered his voice.
“The truth is, I received it from the Grand Duke of the North.”
“The Grand Duke of the North......”
Walter Levior, that human weapon of the North?
Raphael rubbed his chin and murmured.
“If I asked His Grace, I might be able to get more.”
At those words, the pupils of Chris and the other representatives widened.
Could there truly be more left?!
Raphael examined their gazes, then spoke again.
“Hmm, under normal circumstances, this would not be allowed, but......”
Once more, he slowly drew out the silence.
The longer he waited, the more the others’ insides burned with impatience.
In the end, they walked into Raphael’s trap on their own feet.
“P-Please, I beg you! We are fellow mages, are we not? Hmm?”
That is what I was waiting to hear.
Raphael smiled and pulled the invitation Walter had given him from inside his coat.
“Then, as it happens, I have an invitation here... would you care to accompany me?”
“Of course!”
“Y-Yes! This would be an excellent opportunity to visit the North!”
Under ordinary circumstances, they would have refused with every excuse imaginable—seminars, research, and anything else they could think of.
Now their eyes had gone wild, and they were begging to be taken to the North of their own accord.
The sight was tremendously amusing.
“Very well. Then I will take that as your acceptance.”
“Yes, I will be counting on you!”
“Of course. Goodness, I can hardly wait to see what expression His Grace makes when he sees this.”
Raphael laughed heartily and looked toward the distant North.
This was the opening act of a legend—the advent of the health supplement—no, the medicine—that would shake the entire royal capital.