“Yes, that is correct.”
Although Aiman had not accepted the title of Baron, Keiras had found managing the territory troublesome and had told him to take it as though giving away something insignificant.
He had said that the relevant details would be passed from Karib to Hansen.
In any case, after informing his father that the territory now belonged to their family, Aiman continued.
“And for the time being, Father, I need you to oversee the things currently being built.”
“You mean the building where we will make paper?”
“Yes. More workers will be arriving as well. You will need to manage them according to what I explained earlier.”
“Understood. Still, this is rather difficult to adjust to.”
“What?”
Aiman wondered what his father was suddenly finding so difficult to accept.
Isaac explained.
“Not only does my son know how to make paper, but you are also a mage. On top of that, we are no longer serfs.”
Aiman understood what he meant.
A great many things had happened in less than a week.
More importantly, all of them had happened because of Aiman, his son.
However, Aiman responded to Isaac’s difficulty in accepting the changes.
“People are creatures of adaptation, so you will grow accustomed to it soon. Once you do, life will be far easier and more comfortable than it was when we were serfs.”
Isaac wondered whether those words had truly come from his ten-year-old son.
He shook his head.
‘Come to think of it, Aiman acting like an old man is hardly anything new. And considering that he became the Count’s disciple······.’
Rather than considering his son strange, it would be more appropriate to consider him exceptional.
Once Isaac thought of it that way, Aiman’s words began to resonate with him.
‘Life will be far easier and more comfortable than it was when we were serfs.’
Could anything truly be worse than life as a serf?
Unless one became a slave, that seemed unlikely.
Isaac also accepted their new reality.
“Very well. Teresa and I will simply trust our son and enjoy a life of luxury.”
“What life of luxury? None of this will be possible unless you work, Father.”
“I worked without rest when I was a serf as well, did I not?”
“That is true.”
Although Isaac would have to provide the greatest amount of assistance in producing Hanji, it would still be far better than sleeping only a few hours each day and working himself nearly to death as a serf.
When Aiman agreed, Isaac smiled.
“Right?”
“Yes. Let us return home now. Hansen said that he would prepare bathwater for us.”
“Let us do that.”
Aiman and his father returned to the manor and ended the day enjoying the comforts Hansen had prepared for them.
@
The following morning.
As they had the day before, Aiman’s family travelled to Silverian Manor in the carriage Keiras had sent for them.
There, Keiras and Aiman’s family ate breakfast together.
They exchanged a few casual words during the meal, and Keiras mentioned the request Aiman had made.
“Ah, the workers you requested yesterday will arrive today. I have instructed them to construct what you wished to build. As long as you pay them proper wages, you should be able to continue employing them afterward.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“What are you thanking me for? It is your money. If you have finished eating, hurry so that we can begin your magical training.”
The man was truly obsessed with magic.
Aiman presented his bowl with both hands so that Keiras could clearly see it.
“I still have food left.”
“Tsk. I already finished mine.”
“Ah! Master.”
“Hmm?”
Keiras had looked disappointed upon hearing that Aiman had not finished his meal, since he wanted to hurry away and discuss magic. When Aiman called to him, he tilted his head.
Aiman remembered that he had another request to make.
“You know the territory you told me to manage?”
“What about it? Have you decided that managing it is too troublesome after all?”
“No. It belongs to me now, correct?”
Keiras had casually told Aiman to manage and take possession of the territory.
However, few things in life were as ambiguous as a verbal agreement.
It was best to have Keiras state it clearly in front of everyone and secure witnesses.
It was not that Aiman distrusted him.
His many years of experience in sales simply told him that this was the proper way to proceed.
Keiras nodded.
“Of course it does. Why else would I have handed it over for you to manage?”
“Precisely.”
“Enough about that. Could you finish eating a little faster?”
Keiras merely wanted Aiman to finish his meal quickly so they could discuss magic.
Seeing his impatience, Aiman placed his knife and fork down.
“I am finished.”
“You are?”
“Yes.”
“Then let us go.”
Aiman chuckled as he watched Keiras excitedly urge him toward the Magic Training Ground.
‘I received an entire territory for free. The least I can do is humour him this much.’
@
“Hmm. In the end, to use magic of a higher realm, you will need to create Mana Cutter with at least two Mana Circles’ worth of Mana…….”
Keiras summarised the conclusion they had reached the previous day.
Aiman could currently use only one Mana Circle’s worth of Mana.
With that amount, he could cast 2nd-Class spells possessing their complete form and power. By using his own ingenuity, he could even cast 3rd-Class spells, although their forms had to be altered slightly.
However, he could not use 4th-Class spells.
In truth, even his current accomplishment was extraordinary.
He could cast 3rd-Class magic with the Mana of only one Mana Circle.
Any ordinary mage who heard of it would be astonished beyond belief.
Most mages remained trapped at either the 1st or 2nd Class. Once they reached the 3rd Class, they could begin securing a certain degree of status and privilege.
Since Aiman possessed only one Mana Circle’s worth of Mana, he was technically a 1st-Class Mage. However, because he could cast 3rd-Class spells, he could also be regarded as a 3rd-Class Mage in practice.
Nevertheless, it was frustrating.
Aiman clearly possessed the talent to reach a far higher realm if only he could handle more Mana.
However, although the two of them had identified the problem, neither had yet discovered a way to solve it.
Aiman added something to Keiras’s explanation.
“If that were possible, you and your master would already have perfected the method of allowing ordinary people to become mages, would you not?”
“That is correct.”
As their conversation continued, Aiman thought—
‘A way to cast magic of a higher realm…….’
Perhaps he should retrace the matter from the broadest principles back to its most fundamental cause.
‘I can use 2nd-Class spells perfectly because the Mana cut out by a Mana Cutter made from one circle’s worth of Mana is equal to the amount contained in two Mana Circles. I can use 3rd-Class spells because I fold the Mana in greater detail to reproduce the required shape. However, I cannot use 4th-Class spells because the amount of Mana I cut out cannot be folded any further. In that case, I simply need to increase the size of the piece I cut out…….’
To cut out a larger piece of Mana, maintaining Mana Cutter was essential.
However, he could no longer extend the duration of a Mana Cutter created with only one circle’s worth of Mana.
As Keiras had said, that would remain impossible unless Aiman could wield the Mana of at least two Mana Circles.
At that moment, an idea suddenly occurred to him.
“Oh? Master.”
“Hmm?”
“Does something like that not exist?”
“Like what?”
Keiras looked at him, wondering what he meant.
Aiman pointed out the fundamental cause of the problem they were considering.
“The problem is that I can use only one circle’s worth of Mana from my body, correct?”
“That is correct.”
“Then is there not an Artifact that would allow me to use more Mana? You mentioned before that there are Artifacts capable of producing all kinds of magical effects.”
Artifacts.
They were magical implements that allowed their wielders to use magic.
There were many different kinds.
Some required the user to possess Mana Circles like a mage, but allowed someone of a lower Class, such as Aiman, to use magic belonging to a higher Class.
Others used the Mana naturally contained within a human’s life force, allowing even someone who was not a mage to activate them.
That had given Aiman an idea.
Perhaps there was an Artifact that did not cast magic itself but instead allowed its user to wield more Mana.
Keiras’s expression brightened when he heard the suggestion.
“Oh? Why did I not think of that?”
“Does one exist?”
“It does.”
Aiman’s eyes shone at Keiras’s answer.
An Artifact capable of allowing its user to wield more Mana existed.
It was precisely the kind of Artifact Aiman desperately needed.
What if he added the Mana supplied by such an Artifact to the one circle’s worth of Mana he could use and created Mana Cutter with both?
He would be able to cut out a larger quantity of Mana.
Then he should naturally be able to use spells of the 4th Class or above.
After hearing Keiras’s answer, Aiman believed that the idea had considerable potential.
“Then could we not simply use one?”
“We could.”
“How do we obtain it?”
If he could acquire one, he would be able to solve his current problem and wield magic of an even higher Class.
However, Keiras’s next words struck him like a bolt from a clear sky.
“We cannot obtain one.”
“What?”
Aiman could not understand what he meant.
Keiras had just said that such Artifacts existed, yet now he claimed that they could not acquire one.
If they could not be obtained, their existence was meaningless.
Seeing Aiman’s pupils tremble, Keiras explained.
“Artifacts with the ability you described do exist. There is a ring at the Imperial Court that belonged to a former Emperor who reached the level of an Archmage, a staff that is the national treasure of the Magic Kingdom, and an item belonging to my master. As far as I know, those are the three items possessing such an ability.”
Every one of those three items certainly appeared impossible to obtain.
One was a relic left behind by a former Emperor. Another was the national treasure of an entire kingdom. The last belonged to Lucia Silverian, one of the few Archmages on the continent.
Just as Keiras had said, they could not obtain any of them.
They were not ordinary objects.
They appeared difficult to acquire regardless of how many millions one offered.
Even without knowing the precise details, Aiman could tell from Keiras’s explanation that none of the items would be easy to obtain.
Still, he thought that one of them might offer some possibility.
“If the last item belongs to your master…… since I am also her disciple, would she not give it to us if we asked for her help?”
Lucia Silverian was Keiras Silverian’s master.
Aiman, in turn, was Keiras Silverian’s disciple.
By the principles of a syllogism, that meant Aiman was also Lucia Silverian’s disciple.
Furthermore, Keiras had said that he and Lucia had researched a method by which ordinary people could become mages.
Their research had been temporarily suspended when Keiras left to carry out an order from the Imperial Court. After meeting Aiman, however, the interruption had grown longer.
As a mage, Keiras had become far more interested in Aiman’s unusual ability.
In any case, Aiman did not necessarily need Lucia Silverian to give him the item permanently.
He merely wished to borrow it and test it.
He wanted to discover whether being able to handle more Mana would truly allow him to cast spells belonging to a higher realm, as he and Keiras suspected.
However, his wish could not be fulfilled.
“That will not work.”
“Why? Is it because the item is too valuable?”
“It is valuable, but that is not the only issue…… In any case, anything belonging to that old hag is out of the question.”
Keiras briefly thought about his master before inadvertently using the term he normally avoided in front of Aiman to preserve Lucia’s dignity.
Aiman had never heard Keiras call Lucia an old hag before, so he looked puzzled.
“Old hag?”
“Ah, I meant my master. You have not met her yet, so I have been calling her Master to preserve at least some of her dignity. Do not concern yourself with it.”
“Understood. In any case, according to you, there is no point in devising a solution if we cannot obtain the necessary Artifact.”
“That appears to be the case. The ring left behind by the former Emperor is probably the only one that might possibly come into another person’s possession…….”
Aiman’s eyes shone at Keiras’s words.
There was a possibility.
That meant that although they could not acquire the other two, it might be possible to obtain the ring left behind by the former Emperor who had been an Archmage.
Aiman wanted it.
He asked Keiras how it could be obtained.
“How would I obtain it?”
“You could receive it if you became the Commander of the Imperial Mage Corps.”