“Whew. Now I should go see the Master.”
After leaving the Commander’s Office, Keiras gathered the Imperial Mages who had remained in the Imperial Mage Corps’ district instead of departing on missions.
He showed them the Hanji Aiman had made and told them to send him a letter or visit his territory if they were interested in purchasing it later.
Afterward, Keiras headed toward the mansion where his master stayed.
Prominent Mages of the Empire usually received Titles of Nobility and considerable wealth, but Keiras’s master had refused all such rewards.
Furthermore, she did not side with anyone.
The closest connection she possessed was a minor relationship with the Ivory Tower of the Magic Kingdom.
For that reason, her mansion in the Capital was entirely her own private property.
When Keiras arrived at his master’s mansion for the first time in a long while, he clicked his tongue in amazement.
“Don’t tell me she expanded the mansion again?”
She had expanded the mansion.
That was exactly what had happened.
Keiras did not know how his master earned her money, but whenever she made a profit, she bought more land and buildings surrounding her mansion.
And she did so in the Imperial Capital, which was renowned for having the most expensive land and buildings in the entire Empire.
Keiras could only stare in astonishment at the mansion, which had grown even larger since his previous visit.
‘Just how much land in the Capital does she intend to buy…… What will she do if the Imperial Court finds some excuse to interfere?’
Keiras briefly wondered whether the Imperial Court might eventually intervene if she continued purchasing so much of the Capital’s land.
Then he chuckled.
‘I’m worrying over nothing.’
His master would never concern herself with something as trivial as the Imperial Court.
All she had to do was reveal that she was secretly a Magus, and the Empire would immediately accommodate her.
Even now, the mere fact that she was an Archmage residing within the Empire was a tremendous source of strength, despite her refusal to take the Empire’s side.
The existence of a Swordmaster or an Archmage represented greater national power than almost anything else.
Although Keiras’s master was not allied with the Empire, merely residing here exerted immense pressure on foreign nations.
With those thoughts in mind, Keiras approached the mansion.
A mansion of this size would ordinarily have Guards stationed at its entrance.
‘Still as poorly guarded as ever.’
Keiras opened the gate himself and entered the garden stretching out before the mansion.
A residence built with such vast wealth would normally have required stringent security, but no one would ever consider robbing this place.
It was the mansion of an Archmage.
Furthermore, the Empire itself granted her special consideration.
Anyone who entered to commit theft would immediately become a wanted criminal throughout the Empire.
Keiras walked through the vast garden.
He had been walking for quite some time, yet he had not even crossed half of it.
At that moment, someone called out to him.
“Sir Keiras?”
Keiras turned toward the voice.
A woman dressed as a Gardener stood there.
She appeared to be in her early to mid-twenties.
Keiras greeted her warmly.
“Oh, Narsha! Have you been well?”
“I have been guarding this mansion as always. More importantly, it doesn’t seem that you informed Lady Lucia of your visit. What brings you here?”
Narsha asked why he had come.
Keiras shrugged.
“What reason does a disciple need to visit his master?”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
“Then you have made the trip for nothing.”
He had made the trip for nothing.
That meant his master, Lucia, was not at the mansion.
Keiras asked,
“Hmm? Did the Old Hag…… I mean, did Master go somewhere?”
Keiras had instinctively used the name he called his master when they were alone, only to hurriedly correct himself.
Narsha was the mansion’s caretaker.
The moment Keiras called his master the Old Hag, Narsha’s eyes had flashed dangerously.
Keiras was a 5th-Class Mage and did not believe he would lose if they fought, but even he could not ignore the pressure Narsha emitted when her eyes abruptly became feline.
There was nothing to gain from fighting her, so he quickly changed how he addressed Lucia.
Narsha’s eyes returned to their usual calm appearance.
“No matter how close you and Lady Lucia may be as master and disciple, please be more careful with how you address her, Sir Keiras.”
“I understand. So where did Master go?”
“You already know that she is not the sort of person who tells me where she is going before she leaves.”
“That’s true. This is a problem. Ah, Narsha!”
“Yes?”
“Do you happen to know any dwarves personally?”
“Dwarves?”
“Yes, dwarves.”
“The dwarves would be in the lands of the nonhuman races.”
“I know that much. But no one can enter the lands of the nonhuman races without permission. That’s why I came to find Master, but now that she isn’t here, I’m in quite a predicament.”
“Why are you suddenly searching for dwarves?”
“There’s something I want them to examine. Since you’re also a member of a nonhuman race who came to the human lands, I wondered whether you might know any dwarves who had done the same.”
“I’m afraid I cannot help you.”
“Hmm, I see. All right. Then when Master returns, please give her this and pass along a message for me.”
Keiras took a sheet of Hanji from inside his robe and handed it to Narsha.
“It’s paper.”
“Yes.”
“But this is completely different from the paper sold by Paper Farm.”
“That’s right. My disciple made it.”
“Your disciple?”
“Yes, my disciple. That is also the message I want you to deliver. Tell her that I took a disciple.”
“Understood. Lady Lucia will be quite interested. To think that the man who rejected even the Emperor’s offer to become the magic tutor of his youngest daughter has taken a disciple.”
“Ha ha. It simply happened somehow.”
“I’ll tell her when she returns.”
“Thank you.”
“Do I merely need to give her this paper?”
“I just told you that my disciple made it. You can tell her that as well.”
“Understood.”
“Then keep up the good work. Since Master isn’t here, I should leave.”
“Yes. I’ll see you again another time.”
“Right.”
Keiras turned around and made his way through the garden toward the mansion’s entrance.
Watching Keiras disappear into the distance, Narsha muttered,
“The disciple of Sir Keiras, who rejected even the Emperor’s offer…… Whoever they are, their life is about to become exhausting.”
@
“Hmm?”
Aiman was performing Single-Screen Sheet Formation with his parents in the Hanji Workshop when he suddenly tilted his head toward one shoulder and rubbed it against himself.
Isaac noticed and asked,
“Aiman, what is it?”
“Someone must be talking about me. My ear is itching.”
“Then stop for a moment and scratch it.”
Isaac told him to use his finger and scratch his ear properly, but Aiman shrugged.
“Oh, it isn’t itching that badly. I’ll finish forming this sheet first and scratch it afterward. We can’t risk making poor-quality paper.”
“You truly are a master papermaker.”
“I’m no master craftsman. If you had to call me something, I’d say I’m a merchant. A merchant who cannot sell poor-quality paper.”
“Ha ha. As though being a Mage weren’t enough, our son intends to become a merchant too. Dear.”
“Yes?”
Teresa responded when Isaac suddenly called her.
Isaac jokingly asked her,
“Did we perhaps find Aiman beneath a bridge somewhere?”
Isaac had meant it as a playful joke, but Teresa gave him a displeased look.
“Honestly, there are some things you shouldn’t say even as a joke. Stop saying strange things and concentrate on the Single-Screen Sheet Formation.”
Seeing that Teresa had not appreciated his joke, Isaac’s shoulders drooped.
“Ugh. You could have played along a little.”
Aiman then scolded Isaac.
“That was too much, Father. Saying you found your own son somewhere? What kind of joke is that?”
“D-Did that upset you?”
Isaac worried that his joke might have genuinely hurt Aiman.
Aiman chuckled.
“Oh, I wouldn’t become upset over something so minor. I’m only a little hurt.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“I’m joking. Let’s finish this and go eat.”
“Let’s do that.”
Aiman’s family finished arranging the Hanji to dry and then returned to the manor.
Once they had entered the manor, the Hanji Workshop was left empty.
A man appeared there.
Judging by the robe covering the figure, the person seemed to be a Mage.
The Mage approached the Hanji Workshop and spoke in a dissatisfied tone.
“Whew. Why did they ask me to investigate something like this? Still, I’m being paid, so I have to do the job.”
Judging by the voice, the Mage was a woman.
It seemed she was acting under someone else’s orders.
When the female Mage arrived in front of the Hanji Workshop, she spoke with curiosity.
“Does this place truly produce paper superior to Paper Farm’s?”
To carry out her mission, the female Mage attempted to enter the Hanji Workshop.
At that moment—
“Hold.”
FREEZE!
‘Magic?’
A sudden voice rang out, and her movements were completely restrained.
Judging by what she had heard, the voice had spoken the name of a spell.
Hold.
It was a spell that seized a target and rendered them completely incapable of movement.
‘It’s only a 2nd-Class Spell. It cannot restrain someone like me, a 3rd-Class Mage!’
The female Mage attempted to Dispel the Hold binding her body.
Then the voice of the person who had cast the spell spoke again.
“You’ll regret that.”
The youthful-sounding voice warned her that she would regret it.
The female Mage was a 3rd-Class Mage.
She did not believe a mere 2nd-Class Spell could restrain her.
“Hmph.”
Moana snorted and attempted to cast Dispel.
At that moment—
HUMMM.
The Hold spell restraining her body began to glow.
The female Mage immediately recognized the phenomenon.
‘A Mana Explosion?! Why…….’
She could not finish the thought.
The Mana Explosion she had just recognized erupted.
BOOM!
“Aaah!”
THUD.
The Hold triggered a Mana Explosion, and the female Mage collapsed with a brief scream.
Someone approached her.
It was none other than Aiman.
@
“Hmm?”
After entering the manor, Aiman suddenly reacted to something.
Isaac wondered what was wrong and asked,
“What is it, Aiman?”
“Ah, my stomach suddenly hurts. I need to use the bathroom for a moment.”
“Very well.”
Aiman rose from his seat.
Then he went outside.
However, instead of heading toward the bathroom as he had told Isaac, he made his way to the Hanji Workshop.
Aside from when they were producing Hanji, Aiman worried that someone might enter the workshop in secret.
For that reason, he had created and installed a spell that used mana to detect anyone entering the building.
A moment ago, it had detected an intruder.
That was why Aiman had gone to the Hanji Workshop.
When he arrived, he saw a robed intruder attempting to enter.
Aiman immediately created Mana Cutter, performed Mana Cutting, and began folding a Hold spell.
He then used the Hold he had personally folded on the intruder.
“Hold.”
It was not an ordinary hold.
Aiman had deliberately added more advanced folds, raising it to the level of a 3rd-Class Spell.
That was why he warned the intruder when he saw her attempting to Dispel it.
“You’ll regret that.”
However, the intruder attempted to Dispel it as though a Hold spell posed no threat.
That was what caused the Mana Explosion.
She had interfered with the spell while thinking only of the formula for an ordinary Hold.
The intruder ignored Aiman’s warning, attempted to Dispel the spell, and failed.
BOOM!
“Aaah!”
She collapsed with a brief scream.
After hearing the scream, Aiman thought,
‘A woman?’
In any case, the intruder had failed to Dispel the spell and collapsed after being struck by the Mana Explosion.
Aiman approached her, looked down, and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk. I told you not to do it.”