I wasn’t one to dwell on my curiosities for long.
Instead of questioning the unfamiliar business professor about basic knowledge, I grabbed Ivan’s sleeve as soon as class ended. Ivan patiently listened to my confused mumblings, and instead of pointing out my extravagant behavior, he opened the back of his notebook.
A simple line drawing depicted the familiar continental map.
“Alright, let’s see. Michael, where is the Duchy of Valentia here?”
“Well… here, at the bottom right.”
“Yes. From here… embracing five counties and three viscounties, this much is the territory of the Duke Valentia Family. Then, where is Count Ernhardt’s County?”
“…A little above that, this much…”
Watching the trajectory of Ivan’s pen, I realized I had asked an obvious question. A sigh escaped me involuntarily. The fact that there were five dukes in this vast empire meant that their lands were the largest.
I realized that although I knew of my maternal family’s wealth, I hadn’t truly grasped it. The thought left me speechless. The memory of my impoverished past life bothered me, and I asked, feeling embarrassed.
“But, is it right to spend several silver coins on a single meal and several gold coins on a single piece of clothing?”
“The Duke Valentia Family owns Magic Towers, ports, and vast plains. Jewels and magical Artifacts are luxury goods, so it’s natural that they command such prices. And…”
Ivan twirled the pen he was holding a couple of times before continuing.
“A noble’s meal… only involves more labor or more unusual ingredients than a commoner’s meal. Nutritionally, they are not significantly different. The price difference is simply inflated.”
“Why is that?”
“Because those who have inherited a lot over generations have the perception that paying more is honorable. Of course, excessive extravagance is subject to criticism, but…”
Ivan paused for a moment to think of an example before continuing.
“Clothes using elaborate jewels and lace are usually passed down through generations. If someone were to tear apart a garment after wearing it once, everyone would criticize that behavior. However, raising the salaries of employees at regular intervals or paying a lot of money at a restaurant is considered normal.”
“That’s… naturally.”
“Waste and social contribution are different. Skills should be highly valued. If Michael buys a dagger in the name of Young Master Ernhardt, he will pay three or four times more than a commoner buying the same dagger. If you present a slip in the name of Valentia, you will pay five or six times more.”
“That’s… why is that?”
“Because that’s how it’s been done. At least, that’s how it’s been since the Shiaren Great Reform.”
Ivan emphasized that hoarding wealth and dying with it was strange, and that although gold and silver were used to assign value, money was an abstract concept that had no value unless it circulated in the world.
After that, he recommended several books, saying they were deeply related to his major and that I should read them if I was interested.
I reluctantly agreed with his advice that instead of feeling guilty about spending money right away, it would be better to slowly consider how and to whom it was right to use that money.
Throughout the meal, I was curious about how much everything cost and asked about it repeatedly, only to be told that academy meals were included in the tuition, so Ivan didn’t know either.
I had more to learn.
❖ ❖ ❖
That afternoon. Maelo Sanson, upon seeing me, led me away with a joyful expression, saying there was a place we had to go.
It was Maelo Sanson who had demonstrated with his own body throughout the last semester because there was no way to show me Monsters directly. I was excited to hear that he had succeeded in capturing several Monsters in the Yuil Mountains for me during this vacation.
Throughout the carriage ride, Maelo Sanson gave me various instructions several times.
“The place we’re going to now is Magic Tower 1-1, the west tower of the capital. Wizards want to tear off pieces of flesh from Swordsmen, so be quiet, and be as invisible as possible… It probably won’t work out well… but be careful anyway.”
“Yes.”
After answering obediently, I suddenly became curious and opened my mouth.
“What do they… use the flesh for?”
“They soak it in some strange reagent every time… Unless I receive a report with a clear purpose of use, you should never give any part of your body to any Wizard. Several Golems you don’t even know about might be created.”
“…I will keep that in mind.”
I also told him about the Chilopoda-Worm, the Monster I had caught at the Summer Hunting Festival.
Sansone tilted his head at my saying that I had deployed an Aura Barrier to temporarily block the poison mist, and soon drew out aura to create an Aura Barrier. I was admiring the mystical sight of him drawing out natural energy so casually when Sansone repeatedly condensed and dispersed the Aura Barrier several times before laughing in vain.
“Did you already know this, or did you just think of it?”
“…Well, I just thought that’s how it would usually be used…”
“You’re using aura like a Shield… It’s usually difficult for Sword Masters to delicately utilize this much aura far away from the body, you know?”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, usually aura is used for attacking or strengthening the body… No one would think that crystallizing aura could block poison mist. Maybe against physical attacks.”
“…Hmm.”
In the Central Plains, Aura Barriers were mostly used to block sound, and I had occasionally heard that they were used to block Hidden Weapons or poison mist. Since I was dealing with things smaller than swords, I naturally thought it would also be used to block nasty poisons. I shuddered, now realizing that I could have been in serious trouble.
I nodded at his suggestion to think about how to use it together next time.
I also learned more specifically about how to deal with Sandworms and their subspecies.
“When dealing with insect-type Monsters that look like they’re wearing armor, it’s right to aim for the mouth. Those with wings are also likely to have weaknesses under their wings or in the center of their bellies.”
“Hmm.”
“But, why did you cut off the horn first?”
“Well… it looked sacred, so I thought it would lose its power if I broke it.”
“…That’s a romantic thought. Well, you can cut off anything that looks unusual. Good job.”
He didn’t really sound like he was praising me. I stared at him awkwardly, and Sansone added a word.
“From now on, you can just think of horns as… decorations. They are often used as physical attack weapons, so there’s no harm in cutting them off first… But like fingernails or toenails, many Monsters don’t have any sensation there.”
“Yes, I understand.”
After chatting for about an hour, Sansone and I got off right below the Magic Tower, which had seemed so far away. The towering tower looked huge even from a distance, but up close, it exuded an overwhelming presence that didn’t seem to have been made by human hands.
The walls, made of something black and smooth that wasn’t brick or iron, had no gaps at all. Not only were there no gaps, but there were also no windows or doors. However, I was used to entering buildings in suspicious ways with Wilton Roberts, so I didn’t show any signs of surprise.
Sansone, who had been glancing at me with expectant eyes, shrugged at my composed appearance and knocked twice on the plain, empty wall.
Then, a mouth sprouted on the wall.
What kind of bizarre behavior was this? The thing, which looked just like a human mouth, was large enough to be three spans wide, making it grotesque. It was eerie to hear that mouth, puckering and spouting human words in a cheerful voice.
“Hello, Professor Sansone! It’s nice to see you!
“Yes, I’m here. Me and Young Master Ernhardt here.”
“Yes! You’re going to the 14th floor, right? Please don’t move for a moment. It might be a little dazzling. Okay, one, two, three~!”
I closed my eyes and opened them, and I was inside.
I was dumbfounded. Well, I didn’t think it would be as quiet, bleak, and dignified as the places I had gone with Wilton… but the image of the bright red lips sprouting from the black wall wouldn’t leave my mind.
That must be magic too. Sansone, who had been laughing at me standing there speechless, put a large arm on my shoulder and led me.
Only then could I come to my senses and look around.
I had thought that the interior would be black since it looked black from the outside, but there were several cells built with red bricks, yellow bricks, and blue bricks… no, with bricks of all colors and things that weren’t bricks.
Among them, I could hear the growling of a beast from behind some bars.
Come to think of it, the energy of the atmosphere is very dense. I felt like I could feel Mana with the tip of my nose.
There was no one to guide us, but blue arrows at our feet indicated the way to go. Not knowing what I could ask, I simply followed as he led. There were several iron doors along the way, but they opened on their own before we even stood in front of them, so there was no need to stop.
At the end of that was a spacious room, and I saw a stranger and a familiar person together.
“Hello, Professor! It’s nice to see you again after a week! It’s nice to meet you. Is this the student you were talking about?”
“Yes. This is Michael Ernhardt. Michael, say hello. This person studies Monsterology…”
“Mage Trickle. Nice to meet you, Young Master.”
As I reached out to shake the hand that was suddenly extended, Sansone grabbed my wrist to stop me from shaking it. I looked up at him questioningly, and Trickle made a sound of regret and immediately hid his hand behind his back.
…What was about to happen just now? I involuntarily turned my gaze to the familiar face. Edwin Kiadris, who was standing neatly to one side, shrugged at me and turned his gaze away primly.
“Yes… and this is Edwin Kiadris, the disciple I received this time. Have you two met before?”
“…Yes. It’s been a while, senior.”
“Oh. I heard about it. Nice to meet you.”
I didn’t expect to meet him again so soon, so I felt strange.