Chapter 16

With this, the accumulated letters have run out, so from next time, the posts will be delayed.

Bernardo and his servant, after concluding a deal with Ricardo, completed transactions with alchemists and others, and a few days later headed for the capital.

Inside the carriage, Bernardo and his servant, Karl, were talking about the boy they had met in Delb.

"Was the deal with that boy named Ricardo alright?"

Bernardo, looking out the carriage window, asked in return.

"What are you worried about?"

"No, I'm not worried. It's just that it was unusual for you to deal directly with someone you don't trust."

Bernardo smiled slightly.

"That boy is a disciple of Alessandro, the magician under the employ of Viscount Fabius."

"Hmm... So, did Alessandro create the magic rod?"

Bernardo shook his head in denial.

"No, that magic rod was enchanted by a first-rate magic craftsman. A third-rate magician from the countryside couldn't have made it."

The rod itself, as the boy said, was crudely made by an amateur. However, the frost patterns on the surface of the rod were almost flawless, indicating that it was enchanted by a highly skilled magic craftsman.

"Was it that good?"

"Yes, the biggest gain from this deal might be that magic rod."

The most difficult part of making a magic rod is to make the frost patterns uniform. A typical magic craftsman, even if they suppress their magic power to work, would run out of magic power and not be able to complete the enchantment in one go.

If the work is divided, the next time they try to enchant it, the changes in their physical condition or morale would cause slight variations. This would result in the frost patterns being distorted.

Only a few magic craftsmen who have trained for many years can complete the enchantment in one go, but such people wouldn't bother to make a low-powered magic rod.

Even if they could, maintaining a constant flow of magic power for a long time is difficult, and the probability of failure is high.

A magic rod completed in one enchantment is a rare item and is specially called a 'Yunavolta.'

Upon returning to the capital, Bernardo, as usual, held a banquet to celebrate his return from the journey, inviting friends and acquaintances.

Bernardo's house is located in a high-end residential area where successful merchants live, with luxurious mansions lining the streets.

Among the invited guests was Isarco Vertrooni, a friend from the Magicians' Guild.

"Bernardo, it's been a while."

Isarco is a board member of the Magicians' Guild and also the deputy director of the Alchemy Bureau, the research department of the guild. He is fifty-one years old, tall and thin, but not frail. In his robes, he looks like a typical magician.

The guests invited to the usual banquet, other than Isarco, were mostly merchants.

"Lord Isarco, welcome."

Bernardo greeted him with a smile.

"I'm glad to see you well. How was your journey this time?"

"Other than being delayed in a small village due to a few days of rain, it was a pleasant trip."

"That's good."

Bernardo shook his head.

"But the target catalyst, Fire, was more expensive in the border regions, and I couldn't gather as much as I had hoped."

"Hmm, the influence of the magic cannon has reached the border regions, has it?"

"Yes, and the lords are trying hard to offer Fire catalysts to the royal family, so I couldn't get high-quality catalysts."

Isarco had heard about the competition among the nobles to offer catalysts at the royal banquet, so he smiled wryly.

The shortage of Fire catalysts was also a problem in the Magicians' Guild.

The gathered friends toasted to Bernardo's safe return.

Since most of them were merchants, the conversation often turned to business, but there were few who talked about good business. Instead, there were many stories about battles breaking out and roads being blocked.

In this country, battles between nobles are a daily occurrence. As a result, the most popular product is weapons.

"By the way, I acquired a rare weapon on this trip."

When Bernardo mentioned this to Isarco, the merchants showed interest.

"Really?"

Isarco responded half-heartedly. As a magician, swords and spears didn't interest him much.

The other merchants leaned in.

"What kind of weapon?"

"A magic rod."

Hearing this, Isarco showed interest. After all, a magic rod is a weapon for magicians.

Bernardo ordered his servant to bring the wooden box containing the magic rod from the storage.

When the wooden box was brought and opened, he took out the rod and handed it to Isarco.

Isarco's face clouded over for a moment at the unimpressive-looking magic rod, but his expression changed when he saw the frost patterns.

"Is this a Yunavolta?"

"Indeed... Did you notice?"

The merchants started to buzz. One of them, Filippo, a catalyst merchant, asked to see it as well.

Filippo, though a catalyst merchant, also dealt in a small amount of weapons like Bernardo.

"Sure."

Bernardo took another one from the wooden box and handed it to Filippo. Filippo examined the magic rod as if he were licking it.

"Indeed, it's a Yunavolta. But... why is the rod work so amateurish?"

Bernardo laughed.

"Due to certain circumstances, a skilled magic craftsman enchanted a rod made by an amateur."

Filippo, after appraising the magic rod, asked.

"How much did you acquire it for?"

"You acquired it at a much lower price than expected."

A Yunavolta magic rod can increase in value by five or ten times. If acquired from a famous magic craftsman, a single rod can cost more than ten gold coins.

Isarco tried to channel magic power into the rod. He could feel the magic power smoothly flowing into the magic rod. In a regular magic rod, there would be several points where the flow of magic power would be disrupted, but with this one, he felt no such disruptions.

"Remarkable... but it's a pity. If this were made from the wood of a Trill and the rod work done by a real craftsman, the nobility and royalty would have bought it."

Bernardo nodded. If such a Yunavolta magic rod were for sale, it could fetch a price of over a hundred gold coins.

"But if that were the case, the acquisition price would have been much higher. Besides, I managed to acquire twelve of them, so it was fortunate."

The number twelve surprised the surrounding merchants. Filippo hurriedly checked the contents of the wooden box.

"Really... Where did you acquire them?"

Bernardo laughed and answered.

"I can't tell you that."

Filippo looked a bit regretful.

Isarco also wanted one and asked about the price, but it wasn't something he could casually afford. Isarco owned a magic rod that he bought for seventy-two gold coins, but he kept it in his safe at home and rarely used it.

He usually used a cheaper magic rod, which was sufficient for his work at the Magicians' Guild. However, after feeling the difference in handling, he couldn't resist buying a Yunavolta magic rod.

In the capital, Bernardo's Yunavolta magic rods became a bit of a sensation and sold out quickly despite their high price.

Noble heirs also came to see them, but they didn't buy the unimpressive-looking magic rods. Instead, experienced magicians were the main buyers.

◆◆◇◇◆◆◇◇◆◆

Meanwhile, Ricardo, the maker of the magic rods, was studying for his exams at Alessandro's mansion.

Life at the mansion had a few changes. Alessandro had taken in two new disciples and had them live in the empty rooms on the second floor, teaching them magic.

Ricardo thought he would be asked to take care of the new disciples, but Alessandro kept him completely out of their education.

By the end of spring.

Massimo set off for the capital to deliver his research paper. He would travel with the group sending the catalysts to the royal family, so the journey should be safe. Patrick and Marcello also accompanied him for their exams.

After leaving the capital of Delb, Massimo and his group traveled along the Delb Road to the capital of Morta in the Rozzen territory, where they stayed overnight. From Morta, they moved to the capital of Burg in the Coguats territory to the southeast, a journey that took two days.

Up to this point, they traveled by carriage, but from Burg to the capital of Vayzel, they would travel by sailboat. If the wind was favorable, it would take two days to arrive, but if the weather was bad, it could take up to ten days.

Massimo and his group arrived in two days, blessed with good weather and wind.

Upon arriving in the capital, Massimo and his group took lodgings, rested, and then headed to the Magicians' Guild.

Patrick and Marcello completed the exam registration, and Massimo submitted his research paper at the reception. The reception seemed to be receiving research papers from many examinees.

Many seemed to submit their research papers along with their exams, hoping to pass either one.

During this period, the people of the Magicians' Guild are very busy. They have to prepare for the exams and evaluate the research papers.

Isarco sighed deeply and looked at the stack of research papers on his desk.

"Every year, I get tired of reading the same old papers."

He complained to Tania, who was working on the evaluation in the same room.

Tania, a prodigy who passed the magician certification exam at twelve and was selected as a researcher in the Alchemy Bureau at fourteen, is currently assisting Isarco while researching fire magic.

"Board member... Stop complaining and finish quickly. The same amount will be submitted tomorrow."

Evaluating research papers is a task assigned to board members by the guild.

The guild has twelve board members, with the representative board member at the top. However, the board members are not united; they are divided into two factions: the Elder faction and the Royal faction.

The Elder faction values tradition and resists change, and many have deep ties with the nobility and are involved in various interests. On the other hand, the Royal faction is a group of people who aim to help the royal family and unify the country under the king.

The board members are also divided into the two factions and are in conflict. Among them, Isarco alone remains neutral, focusing on genuine magic research, and is disliked by the other board members, who often assign him the task of evaluating research papers.

However, he is not assigned all the papers. Papers submitted by members of the two factions are evaluated by the board members of their respective factions. As a result, papers that should not have been evaluated are sometimes accepted, and the submitter is certified as a magician.

"Again. They just changed the combination of magic words and submitted it as a research paper."

Isarco was exasperated. The format of the research papers is free, but too many of them lack the substance of a proper paper.

"Tania, is there any paper that makes you think and reflect?"

Tania, who is almost fifteen, was reading the papers with a tired face. Her job is to read the papers and check if similar ones have been submitted in the past.

Papers that are rejected at this stage do not reach Isarco, so Tania ends up reading more papers. It would be impossible without her youth and exceptional memory.

"If there were such a paper, I would be the first to... hmm... this is..."

Tania started to groan strangely.

"What's wrong?"

Isarco, concerned, asked her.

Tania was reading the paper with incredible concentration. She didn't seem to hear Isarco's voice. Then, she started to mutter.

"No... that's ridiculous... but... could it be..."

Hearing Tania's muttering, Isarco took the paper from her hand.

"Hey... Board member. What are you doing? I was in the middle of reading it."

Tania glared at Isarco with wide eyes.

"It's because you didn't answer. What is this?"

Isarco looked at the paper. The title was 'The Possibility of Composite Magic and Fire and Water Magic,' and the author was Massimo Valerius.

As he started reading the content, Isarco's expression changed.

The paper was written by Ricardo and submitted under Massimo's name. Massimo, not being a fool, did not submit Ricardo's work as is but copied it and submitted it.

Of course, he added to the parts where the original was incomplete, but those parts were vague.

Later, when this paper was made public within the Magicians' Guild, it was highly evaluated as a groundbreaking work.

"Board member, is this genuine?"

Tania asked if the content of the paper was legitimate.

"I don't know. We need to experiment."

Isarco and Tania prepared the catalysts and headed to the experimental facility next to the building.

The experimental facility was large enough to handle powerful magic. Usually, someone would be conducting experiments, but today, everyone was busy preparing for the exams, so no one was there.

Tania prepared the Fire and Water catalysts. Isarco confirmed the paper again, visualizing the magic and the incantation.

Taking out the magic rod, he calmed his mind and channeled magic power into the rod. The magic power began to swirl around the rod. Tania scattered the two catalysts, and Isarco began the incantation.

"Fana Ganubador Spellogoma"

A ball of flame was born and began to condense. When it was about one-tenth of its size, an orange, viscous object appeared at the center. Then, it began to fly like a projectile and hit the thick wooden target.

The thick wooden target was charred and cracked. The orange object that stuck to the board continued to burn and ignite the board.

The 'Flame Projectile,' which was the predecessor of the composite magic 'Molten Flame Bullet,' was supposed to leave only charred marks on the wooden target after the flames scattered.

"This... This is real. It's a genuine composite magic."

This was the moment Ricardo's composite magic was recognized by the Magicians' Guild.

Isarco reported this discovery to the board members and certified the submitter as a magician.

Later, when they learned that the paper had received such high praise, Ricardo and Patrick felt regretful.