Put very simply, the Empire's hierarchy breaks down like this.
Rank 1 - the Emperor
Rank 2 - the Emperor's children
Rank 3 - the Consul, the heads of each department, the Right-Hands
A prince's Right-Hand.
It was a gift left by one of the Empire's third-tier figures, and its size was out of the ordinary too, so he had high hopes.
What could be inside?
If it's expensive, I'll sell it and trade it for mana stones.
Adam, swollen with anticipation, tore off all the wrapping and muttered.
"Holy shit......."
The contents were a single small letter.
***
Creeeak—.
When the poorly oiled wooden door opened, bitter cigarette smoke wafted out.
As Adam stepped into the room, Aicolman's sharp gaze fixed on him.
"What is it?"
He was probably just looking, but his face was so mean it looked like a glare.
"I have something to report."
The Archmage, leaning deep into the sofa, asked.
"Is it about the gift the Right-Hand gave?"
"There's the gift too, but I wanted to tell you about how I resolved my curse first."
"The curse?"
Adam told him about what he'd been through on the mountain and the way to resolve the grimoire's curse.
The fruit of his training, news that he'd solved a tough problem.
He'd naturally expected praise in return, but Aicolman's reaction was pure bewilderment.
"Is that true?"
"Yes. It takes two chunks of mana stone every day."
Harsh words immediately came out of Aicolman's mouth.
Understandable.
"T-two chunks? Do you know how much that is? Two chunks of mana stone every day is 15 million gold a month!"
"15 million gold......."
I'm going to lose my mind.
He'd expected it, but it was a more brutal amount than he'd thought.
Wasn't an average family of 4's monthly living expenses around 3 million gold?
A body that ate up the living expenses of five common households just by breathing.
Not exactly pleasant information.
No, even 'not pleasant' was putting it nicely. To be blunt, it was fucked up.
'Nobles are dying to get their hands on grimoires, so why not just give it to them? Why me?'
Adam swallowed a sigh inwardly.
But what could he do?
Either way, nobles coveted it because it held that much power.
Adam, whose resilience alone surpassed even an Archmage's, turned his thoughts to how to use that power.
Aicolman asked.
"You'll need money rotting out your ears to afford that from now on. What do you plan to do?"
Adam answered calmly.
"I'm going to change jobs."
"Guhk!"
Aicolman, who'd been blowing out smoke, coughed and hacked as if he'd choked.
He must have been flustered, because even the hand holding his teacup trembled.
"Ch-change jobs?"
"You're sad that I'm leaving?"
"What? Sad? Hahaha! Don't talk shit."
'He's sad.'
In truth, Adam didn't want to leave the home he'd grown attached to either.
But a slave's wages couldn't cover the cost of two chunks of mana stone.
Above all, if you'd gained power, wasn't it rational to put that power to use?
A high-paying profession that put power to use.
After careful deliberation, Adam went on.
"I'm going to the Imperial Palace."
"The Imperial Palace!?"
Aicolman asked back, dumbfounded.
"You, a slave, intend to enter the Imperial Palace?"
"It's not like there's no way at all, right?"
Aicolman's eyebrow twitched.
"Yes, it's possible if you have a letter of recommendation. Without a letter of recommendation, it's the Palace's rule that you can't even register for the Recruitment Exam."
The problem was that getting that letter of recommendation was next to impossible.
The only ways were to take top honors at the Academy or to mobilize noble connections.
"But, Master Aicolman, an opportunity just happened to come along."
Adam took a sheet of paper out of his coat and showed it.
"What is that?"
"It was inside the gift the Right-Hand gave."
When Adam opened the envelope and showed the contents, Aicolman's eyes widened.
It was a direct letter of recommendation with the Imperial crest vividly stamped on it, of all things.
"As long as I have a letter of recommendation, I can go to the Imperial Palace too, right?"
"No! If you enter with a direct recommendation, you'll be assigned straight under the Tyrant Third Princess. Never under that woman!"
The Tyrant Third Princess.
The same person Anya, who'd settled in the capital, had called a tyrant.
Adam also had no wish to suffer under such a notorious master.
Fanning himself lightly with the letter of recommendation, Adam spoke up.
"Master Aicolman, isn't a letter of recommendation made to prove that a person can be trusted? In the sense that they're trustworthy, so it's fine for them to enter the Palace."
Aicolman glared at Adam blankly.
"Then couldn't it be used as a recommendation for the exam, instead of for employment at the Palace?"
"...That's."
Aicolman fell into thought for a moment.
Frankly, it was sophistry.
But it was sophistry that could work if he forced it through using his status as the Archmage.
After all, the letter of recommendation didn't have a clause saying 'valid only for ~~.'
"What are you planning?"
"I mean I'll take the exam fair and square and get in."
"You'll take the exam fair and square with the Third Princess's letter of recommendation?"
"Exactly!"
The wind blew hard through the open window.
The black tea in the teacup had already gone cold.
"I might earn the Third Princess's hatred, but with an Archmage backing me, it'll be awkward for her to make me a political scapegoat carelessly."
"Hmph! And if I don't help you?"
"Doesn't matter. The world already sees the two of us as close."
After much deliberation, Aicolman reached a conclusion.
"...Very well. Entering the Palace may be the best course after all."
Adam wet his dry lips with the cold black tea.
"The Recruitment Exam. It'll be fun if I go too, so I'll allow it."
***
Clop.
Clop.
The tiresome sound of hooves stopped.
"There will be an inspection."
A guard of the Imperial Capital, spear in one hand, knocked on the carriage door.
"Everyone, out."
The guard scanned the inside through the window.
A man in a splendid black coat and a boy with a striking face.
The man sitting slouched with his arms crossed glared at the guard.
"I just woke up and don't feel like getting out. Can't you do it in here?"
Good grief, every word out of his mouth is arrogant.
"Out. There are no exceptions to inspections. Keep in mind that if you're uncooperative, you may be denied entry."
"A guard with no manners."
The man clicked his tongue.
Adam, sitting beside him, couldn't hold back any longer and chimed in.
"Please, just listen to him. Don't waste time."
Is the one next to him a servant?
He didn't talk like a servant, but at least this boy seemed like someone you could talk to.
The guard took out a document and asked.
"Names?"
"Aicolman."
"Adam."
The guard scribbled down the names and asked for identification papers.
But the answer that came back was utterly carefree.
"We don't have anything like that?"
"What!? Are you kidding me right now?"
When the guard barked at them, the two leisurely rummaged through their pockets.
And pulled out a single sheet of paper.
"Would this work? It's not a pass, it's an invitation. Is that okay?"
The guard, who'd snatched the paper intending to throw them out on the spot if it was just some central noble's party invitation, instantly stiffened.
A vivid lion crest stamped on the face of the invitation.
"Th-this is... the Imperial crest?!"
The guard's pupils shook violently.
In front of such a precious item, the man who seemed to be the master just yawned widely, and the boy merely looked up at him blankly.
"Can't that replace a pass?"
"Th-the inspection is over! Both of you, get in the carriage. The castle gates close at sunset, so you'll need to find lodgings or leave before then."
As the carriage was about to set off, the guard was lost in thought.
If they were honored guests of the Imperial Family, shouldn't he report it to his superiors?
As he hurriedly tried to move, a heavy hand came down on his shoulder.
"Guard."
Aicolman's voice sank low.
At the chilling pressure he felt at his back, the guard's body went stiff.
"What's your name?"
"F-Fornekov, sir."
"Fornekov. Don't tell anyone that Adam and Aicolman have come. If word gets out that we're here, I'll come find you personally......."
"B-but."
If I don't report it, I might be held responsible later, though?
"It's fine. It's fine. Just say the Archmage threatened you, and everyone will understand."
The Archmage?
Did he just say the Archmage?
Before the guard, aghast, could even ask back, Aicolman made a light shushing sound and got into the carriage.
"The judgment is yours."
Leaving the frozen guard behind, the carriage slid into the Imperial Capital.
***
The air of the capital was different from the mountains.
As soon as they'd unpacked, Adam and Aicolman left their lodgings in light clothes.
The white tower, visible from anywhere if you lifted your head. That was their landmark.
Past the downtown and out to the outskirts, a massive castle gate known as the Palace's back door came into view.
"It's quiet. For the heart of the Empire."
"Because it's not the main gate the officials use. This gate, which leads to the archive, is a place only those in the know seek out."
Just as Aicolman said, it was quiet in front of the castle gate.
But the atmosphere wasn't light.
It was because of the extraordinary aura the single guard at the gate was giving off.
As the guard readjusted his grip on his spear, a cold blue light filled his eyes.
"Halt. The Imperial Palace is no place for sightseers."
Adam looked up blankly at the guard who'd stopped them and marveled.
Wow, this guy's a master.
The gate hadn't been empty because there was no one around.
It was because this monster of a guard was spewing killing intent all over the place, so no one dared approach.
"Identify yourselves."
It definitely had a different atmosphere from the guard they'd met earlier.
Aicolman, who'd been observing the guard closely, asked.
"Guard."
"What?"
"Whom do you serve?"
Perhaps because of the rude question, veins stood out vividly on the back of the guard's hand as he gripped his spear.
"Hold your tongue."
"Why get angry over something like this? I'm not picking a fight. I'm asking because someone of your caliber seems like he'd be connected to the Imperial Family."
Adam's hand, rummaging through his pocket, moved even faster.
When it came to picking fights anywhere, this mad king of provocation was faster than anyone.
Before he could cause trouble, Adam hurriedly held up the invitation.
"Here it is."
The guard checked the name with narrowed eyes.
"Aicolman and his disciple......."
The guard scanned the paper he'd been handed.
Anyone could tell the earlier guard had been flustered, but this guard was fairly unmoved.
The guard pressed his lips firmly together.
"Come in."
The Palace's massive gate opened, and the guard took the lead to show them the way before turning back at the end of the hallway.
As the guard was heading back, Adam spoke to him.
"Ah, Mister Guard. Please keep it a secret that we came."
"A secret......."
"Yes!"
When their eyes met, the guard's pupils wavered slightly.
"Understood."
With that plain answer, the guard turned his back.
***
The Palace's underground, filled in with gray stone.
Aicolman went back, saying there'd be nothing dangerous from here on.
Going through the Palace's underground alone made him uneasy, but it couldn't be helped.
Thud.
Thud.
On the way down the uneven stone steps, the guard's attitude earlier came to mind.
'Didn't the mood change somehow when he heard my name?'
It was a little strange, but he didn't pay it much mind.
Worrying about it wouldn't change anything anyway.
Not dwelling on things you don't know for long is the secret to maintaining resilience.
"Let's see. Is this it?"
Finding the archive hidden deep underground, Adam pushed down the door handle.
Creeeak.
When he entered the archive, bookshelves filling it up to the ceiling spread out like a maze.
'It's really huge.'
It was called an archive, but it was really a dusty library.
Adam immediately looked for the librarian.
"Excuse me? Anyone here?"
There was a grimoire section, but this section alone held thousands of books.
He figured it'd be better to ask a librarian to find it, so he went looking for one.
He spoke to a woman sitting at the archive's central table.
"Um. Excuse me."
"Ah!"
The moment the woman saw Adam, she took a step back.
"......."
Long blond hair down to her waist and a face reminiscent of a small animal.
She was a young lady with the air of a true noble.
"Is there something on my face?"
The girl's pupils trembled slightly.
"Ah, n-no. I, I've never seen you before. I was wondering who recommended you."
"If it's a recommendation, it's the Imperial Family's."
"Ahh, no, I mean the person who came with you. I didn't think you'd have come alone."
He didn't want to say, but if he wasn't honest here, it might get more troublesome.
"Hmm......."
After some deliberation, Adam parted his lips.
"Aicolman."
The moment she heard the name, the noble young lady was startled half out of her wits.