Chapter 20

After parting ways with Tania, Ricardo was led to Bernardo's house, which would be his lodging, by Bernardo himself.

It was located in an upscale residential area about a fifteen-minute walk from the shopping district. Bernardo had said it was a small house, but to Ricardo, it was a grand mansion.

To his delight, Bernardo's mansion had a bath.

In the capital, the custom of bathing was only for the wealthy. This was because the water situation in the capital was related to the matter. The water used in the capital was either drawn from the Crem River flowing to the north or obtained from wells.

Most households and shops that used large amounts of water paid high usage fees and used water drawn from the Crem River, and it was common knowledge that houses with baths were those of the wealthy.

This was the first time Ricardo had taken a bath in this world. It seemed that the water was heated in a separate place and then mixed with cold water in a wooden bathtub to adjust the temperature, and preparing the bath was quite a task.

There was no soap, but instead, they used a powder made from the flesh of the Mekeiras fruit as a substitute. Ricardo had heard that in Japan, the fruit of the Mucluz tree was used as a substitute for soap in the past, so it might be something similar.

He considered taking Monta to the bath with him but decided against it.

After refreshing himself and getting out of the bath, it was time for dinner.

Ricardo had dinner with Bernardo.

It seemed that Bernardo usually had a rather simple meal, consisting of bread, a whole roasted ground bird, a vegetable salad, and soup.

"How is it? The food at my house?"

Bernardo had lost his wife about five years ago and lived with three servants. This was his retirement home, and his daughter and son-in-law lived in the main house.

"It's delicious."

"That's good to hear. Paolo, who prepared the meal, is a skilled cook. He's one of my prides."

Indeed, the food was delicious. The whole roasted ground bird had a crispy skin, and the meat inside was juicy and flavorful. The dressing on the vegetable salad was perfectly balanced with a touch of sweetness and acidity, making it delicious.

Monta came out of his bag, sat on the table, and ate the almonds Ricardo gave him. It was cute to see him gnawing on them with his large front teeth.

"Chu!" (Can I have some water, please?)

Ricardo filled a wooden tube, which was used to store unused catalysts, with water and gave it to Monta. Monta, holding the tube, which was about the size of a pistol bullet, in both hands, drank it all.

"What a cute pet."

Ricardo nodded at Bernardo's words.

"He's a young wise beast. I bought him for three silver coins in Burg."

Bernardo had a complicated look on his face and said hesitantly,

"Did you... get cheated? A wise beast for three silver coins is unheard of."

Ricardo smiled and said,

"Yes, he was also selling young horn wolves, so I thought it was a scam. But he is cute, isn't he?"

Bernardo smiled wryly and said,

"I see, you bought him because he was cute."

"But he's not just cute. He's a real wise beast. He can communicate telepathically, so I'm sure of it."

"What? For three silver coins?"

"It seems the seller didn't realize he was a real wise beast."

Hearing this, Bernardo burst out laughing, as if he had found something amusing.

The next morning, Ricardo thanked Bernardo and left his mansion. Bernardo had told him to visit whenever he came to the capital.

On his way to the Magicians' Guild, Ricardo peeked into a store that sold jewelry, hair accessories, and pendants.

It was early in the morning, so there were few customers, and the clerk looked idle.

"Welcome. What are you looking for?"

In the capital, many noble children lived, so even children were treated politely. However, the clerk frowned for a moment when he saw the old coat Ricardo was wearing.

He must have recognized it as cheap.

"Do you handle purple jade tree fruit crystals here?"

"Of course. We have hair accessories, earrings, and pendants made with them."

The clerk led Ricardo to where the purple jade tree fruit crystal accessories were displayed. Ricardo examined the pendants and pointed to a silver pendant with a small basket design and a purple jade tree fruit crystal embedded in it.

"Is it possible to replace the purple jade tree fruit crystal in this with another one?"

"Um... Yes, I think it would be possible if the size is the same."

Ricardo took out the only successful storage crystal and showed it to the clerk.

"I want to exchange it for this."

The clerk looked at the storage crystal with a complicated expression.

"This one has lines, so it's not of very good quality."

"I understand. But it's like a lucky charm to me, so I want to exchange it."

"However, we don't sell individual crystals here."

"I'll buy the purple jade tree fruit crystal in this pendant. If you have any extra purple jade tree fruit crystals, I'll buy those too."

He also asked if they had any purple jade tree fruit crystals in stock. It turned out they had eight, including the one in the pendant.

After negotiating the price, the total cost for the pendant, the replacement of the purple jade tree fruit crystal, and the eight purple jade tree fruit crystals in stock was thirteen gold coins and six silver coins. It was an expensive purchase. Thanks to this, the clerk had a broad smile on his face.

Purple jade tree fruit crystals were much cheaper than blue jade tree fruit crystals, but they were still quite expensive because they could only be obtained from the divine precious tree in the Crevles magic realm.

The craftsman in the back quickly replaced the purple jade tree fruit crystal. After paying, Ricardo asked,

"Do you handle storage crystals here?"

"No, we don't handle storage crystals."

If this store had handled storage crystals, they might have noticed the black star floating inside the replaced purple jade tree fruit crystal.

Ricardo put on the pendant with the storage crystal and hid the pendant top with the storage crystal embedded under his clothes, so that even the chain was hidden by his collar, making it impossible to tell he was wearing a pendant.

After leaving the store, Ricardo headed to the Magicians' Guild. He knew the location well, as Bernardo had given him detailed directions.

A four-meter-high wall surrounded the vast grounds of the Magicians' Guild. The buildings of the Magicians' Guild were scattered across the vast grounds, and only the building in front of the main gate was open to everyone. This building was where people came for requests and negotiations, and it had a reception area similar to a government office.

Three beautiful women were at the reception. Ricardo chose a beautiful blonde woman who looked to be around twenty years old.

"Excuse me, I came to see my friend Patrick."

He decided to call Patrick instead of Massimo directly to avoid getting scolded.

The receptionist beckoned a boy of about eight years old who was nearby.

"What is it, Liliana?"

Ricardo had thought only magicians worked at the Magicians' Guild, but it seemed that was not the case. The receptionists and young children were people employed by the guild, and he later learned that about thirty percent of the people working at the guild were ordinary people.

"Please bring Patrick from the General Affairs Bureau. Tell him that his friend Ricardo is here."

"Understood."

The boy ran off. After a while, Patrick appeared.

"Oh, it really is Ricardo."

Patrick was wearing a black robe typical of a magician and had a magic rod hanging from his waist.

"Patrick, it's been a while."

"You came early for the exam, but what brings you here?"

"I was ordered by Master Alessandro to deliver this book to Massimo."

Patrick sighed.

"What is that old man thinking? ...Well, if you called me, you must want me to take you to Massimo, right?"

"Yes, please."

Patrick led Ricardo to the Refinement Bureau. The building where the Refinement Bureau was located was at the back of the grounds and was a large, three-story building painted black.

It seemed that anyone could enter the first floor of the building if they were with a member of the Magicians' Guild. The first floor was like a hotel lobby, where a faction of magicians who were not particularly research-oriented gathered.

A male magician in his thirties, who was walking in front of Ricardo, entered a room and looked around sharply.

"Raymond, you stole the Martinez Trading Company's request, didn't you?"

Raymond, a magician of the royal faction, stood up and glared at the magician who had shouted.

"That's rude of you. I just accepted the Martinez Trading Company's request that was assigned to me at the reception. The Martinez Trading Company never said they would go to the elder faction."

"Nonsense, it has always been decided that the Martinez Trading Company's requests would be handled by the elder faction."

The Martinez Trading Company dealt in catalysts and had issued a request for research on catalysts used in magic cannons.

"Hmph, this request is about catalysts for magic cannons. Is it appropriate for the elder faction, which opposes the use of magic cannons, to handle it?"

Gianpiero of the elder faction was speechless. He had been hit where it hurt. It was a well-known fact that the elder faction opposed the use of magic cannons.

Then, an argument broke out between the elder faction and the royal faction, and the commotion grew.

Ricardo watched the argument and felt exasperated.

"Is it always like this?"

When he asked Patrick,

"Not always, but it's about this level."

"I thought the Refinement Bureau would be a place where more intellectual and research-oriented magicians gathered."

"Disappointed?"

A voice came from behind Ricardo. He turned around to see Tania standing there with a wry smile.

"Tania, thank you for yesterday."

Patrick nudged Ricardo's shoulder with his elbow, signaling him to introduce her.

"This is Patrick, a friend from my hometown who just joined the Magicians' Guild."

"Tania from the Refinement Bureau."

"But why do you know Ricardo, who is from the Refinement Bureau?"

"We just met by chance yesterday."

While they were talking, the argument escalated into a physical fight.

A young member of the elder faction pushed a young member of the royal faction with both hands, and the pushed young royal faction member punched back. All the young members joined the brawl. However, the physical fight among the magicians lacked any real power. The punches thrown with wobbly stances missed, and the punchers staggered from the recoil.

A children's fight would have been more entertaining. Thanks to this, Ricardo and Patrick, who had watched the fight, showed no signs of tension on their faces. From the perspective of the two who had experienced battles with magic beasts, it was questionable whether the participants were even taking it seriously.

The magicians involved in the factions might have never fought before and only studied and practiced magic.

On the other hand, Tania, who had never been involved in a fight, watched with a pale face.

"What are you doing!"

A loud, authoritative voice echoed through the room, and the commotion stopped.

It was Isarco, the deputy director of the Refinement Bureau, who had come down after hearing the commotion.

Tania sighed in relief and ran to Isarco's side.

"Director, please do something...""What is this wobbly punch? There's no power in it."

Tania and Isarco spoke at the same time, but Tania stopped mid-sentence, looking stunned.

"What are you talking about?"

"Did you see that? That wobbly... Are these the magicians chosen for the Refinement Bureau?"

"...But they are magicians chosen for their research skills. It's natural that they are not used to fighting."

Isarco snorted.

"Hmph, in my younger days, we went to the magic realm to test our skills. I doubt these guys have ever defeated a single magic beast."

"Research does not require experience in hunting magic beasts."

"Don't be ridiculous. The best way to increase magic power is to defeat magic beasts."

"Are you talking about the 'Benefit Selection'?"

"Yes, didn't you choose [Magic Power Enhancement]?"

Tania looked away.

"What? You have no experience in defeating magic beasts?"

Living in the capital, one rarely encountered magic beasts unless they were a magic beast hunter or worked in the extermination bureau of the Magicians' Guild.

This was because the capital was well-protected.

Ricardo and Patrick, who grew up in the frontier, often encountered magic beasts outside of towns and villages, but in large cities, one rarely encountered magic beasts unless they traveled.

Raymond of the royal faction and Gianpiero of the elder faction approached Isarco.

"Director, the Martinez Trading Company's request has always been handled by the elder faction. It's only right that we handle it this time, don't you think?"

"Wait, the one who should handle it should be chosen based on the request. This time, it's related to magic cannons, so the royal faction should handle it."

Another fight seemed about to break out, so Isarco stopped them.

"Are you going to start another wobbly punch fight? The one who will handle this request will be chosen based on their ability."

Tania looked worried.

"How will you determine their ability?"

"By competing in magic. Three representatives will demonstrate their magic, and the best will be chosen."

Raymond and Gianpiero agreed and chose their representatives.

Amidst the commotion, they started moving towards the training ground with Isarco leading the way.

Ricardo, Patrick, and Tania were left in the room.

"You're looking for Massimo, right? I'll bring him."

Tania went upstairs and came back with a plump Massimo, who was even fatter than when he was in Delb.

"What is it, Ricardo and Patrick? What do you want?"

"Master sent me to deliver this book and letter."

Ricardo handed over the Great Series of Magic and the letter he had been entrusted with.

"Hmph, good work. By the way, what was all that commotion earlier?"

Massimo was as arrogant as ever.

Patrick explained briefly and said goodbye to Massimo.

Ricardo felt a bit deflated that his journey from afar was over in just a few minutes.

"Come on, let's go watch."

Prompted by Tania, they left Massimo behind and headed to the training ground.

The training ground was in the southeast corner of the vast grounds. It was so large that two soccer matches could be played simultaneously, and there were sandbags and logs stuck into the ground, which were likely used as targets for magic practice.

The magicians who had been causing a commotion in the Refinement Bureau were near a target made of sandbags stacked about two meters high.

They seemed to be deciding the order in which they would demonstrate their magic.

After the order was decided, a magician from the elder faction stepped forward.

"Watch this."

The magician, a lanky man in his twenties, took out a rod from his waist and began preparing for his magic.

He released magic power and scattered a [Wind] catalyst. The magic he chose was the upper intermediate-level [Shattering Rain].

In the air above the target, the atmosphere swirled, and after about twenty seconds, several shockwave rains hit the target on the ground. The shockwave rains pierced holes in the sandbags, tearing them apart.

The magicians watching let out cheers. However, Isarco calmly had someone count the number of holes in the sandbags.

"Twenty-one."

"Good, next is the royal faction."

The magicians of the Refinement Bureau took turns demonstrating their magic. All of them were upper intermediate-level spells with considerable power.

Ricardo, watching, felt a sense of unease. The spells cast by the magicians of the Refinement Bureau were all ones he had not learned, and they were quite powerful.

However, he did not feel any awe or impact. Watching the magicians cast their spells, Ricardo realized why. The time it took for the magicians to cast their spells was too long, and after casting, they were panting from magic power exhaustion. Unconsciously, Ricardo calculated their magic power and concluded that it was less than his.

Currently, Ricardo's magic power had increased to about forty, and he could use upper intermediate-level spells twice without drawing power from the Source Gate.

At that moment, Ricardo might have had a slightly disappointed look on his face. Tania and Isarco, noticing his expression, spoke to him.

"Tania told me you're Massimo's junior disciple, Ricardo."

"Yes, I'm Ricardo Unius. Nice to meet you."

"This is Director Isarco of the Magicians' Guild. ...By the way, what were you disappointed about?"

Ricardo looked at Patrick for help, but Patrick avoided his gaze. Ricardo had no choice but to answer honestly.

"I thought the magicians of the Refinement Bureau would be intellectual, research-oriented, and have outstanding magical skills."

Isarco chuckled.

"Don't get the wrong idea. The ones here are the lower-level members of the Refinement Bureau. The serious researchers are not here. Besides, the ones who can use practical magic are the magicians of the Extermination Bureau, not the Refinement Bureau."

Although Isarco said this, Ricardo did not find the Refinement Bureau, where factional disputes were rampant, appealing. He looked at Patrick.

"Are there factional disputes in the General Affairs Bureau too?"

"No, the General Affairs Bureau is where new members or those who have been pushed out from other departments work, so there are no factional disputes."

It seemed that those who entered the Magicians' Guild after achieving average scores in the magician certification exam first joined the General Affairs Bureau to learn about the guild.