Chapter 24
(Kyle Calendar
Year 503: Age 10)
Talent
Acquisition ①: The
Principles of This World and Magic Skills
Translator : PolterGlast
The operation of the
archery range was proceeding smoothly for the time being.
However, this flow was
merely a means, and the goal lay elsewhere.
Only the foundation
for the goal had been laid.
"Raymond-san,
thank you for taking the time today."
"Not at all. I
heard you had some personal questions for me. I hope I can be of
assistance."
"Yes, I wanted to
ask you about mages...
If, hypothetically, it
turned out that someone working for us was actually a mage, what would be the
best way to handle it?"
"Wh-wh-why...
wh-wh-what makes you ask that?"
Hmm? That's strange.
Raymond-san isn't himself today. He lacks his usual sharpness.
The usually calm and
collected steward (Raymond) was acting strangely agitated.
"No, I was just
wondering about the treatment and general common sense if we were to find one
in the future."
"Ah... I see.
Understood. Phew."
Seeing his clearly
relieved face and the sigh he let out, I wondered if I had said something odd.
"First and
foremost, mages are highly paid in places like the royal capital. To give you a
rough idea, you could compare them to the knights who form the core of the
Royal Knights, perhaps?
However, the
evaluation also changes depending on the mage's attribute and what kind of
magic they can wield."
"I see, so
there's something like a market price?"
"The value
changes depending on what purpose the employer has and what kind of mage they
are looking for.
However, some
high-ranking nobles keep many mages in their employ just for show."
"I understand,
it's supply and demand then."
"Yes. For
example, in the Solis baronial family, which is close to the border,
development and military affairs are the two most important issues.
Therefore, mages
involved in development, such as earth and water mages, and mages with high
offensive magic like fire and lightning are highly valued, but the situation is
different in other territories."
"I see... if we were
to pay, the most we could probably manage would be the same as a captain who
commands 100 soldiers, right?"
"That's right.
Even then, it would pale in comparison to the central regions...
Well, it also depends
on what kind of treatment they had received up until that point.
For example, if they
were originally a common soldier, double the pay would probably be sufficient
for the time being.
That is, if we can
ignore the possibility of them being poached, with that condition
attached."
"Thank you. That
was very helpful."
Raymond-san had
somehow returned to his usual, efficient, capable self.
"Does
Takuhir-sama have someone specific in mind as a potential new mage?"
"Well, there's a
possibility, though it's not very certain..."
"That's something
to look forward to! I'll be waiting for good news."
Thanks to the steward,
I had a good understanding of the treatment of mages.
Yes, the biggest
reason I was meddling in the operation of the archery range was because I
wanted to gather mages under my command as my own independent force.
In this world, those
who can use magic are divided into two types.
＜Type 1＞
This is a very common
type of magic among nobles who have become lords.
It is also called a
unique skill (magic), and it has the potential to manifest only in the lord and
their blood relatives.
Of course, it doesn't
manifest in all blood relatives. Usually, even among the lord's direct
descendants, the probability of manifestation is half or less.
This is also known as
bloodline magic, and the magic attribute that can be used is almost entirely
determined by the bloodline. Only when parents possess different unique skills
does a child occasionally manifest a unique skill of a different attribute.
In the Solis baronial
family, my father possesses the space-time magic skill, and my mother possesses
the earth magic skill from the Cornell baronial family.
Therefore, I also have
an aptitude for space-time magic (currently dormant), and my younger sister has
an aptitude for earth magic (not yet manifested).
As an exception, due
to the mixing of different attributes in the bloodline, my brother possesses
the rare aptitude for light magic.
Among nobles, there
seem to be attempts to marry those with unique skills from different bloodlines
in order to create unique skills of attributes not present in their family.
However... it's not guaranteed that the child will manifest the desired unique
skill.
＜Type 2＞
Magic that manifests
in individuals regardless of the lord (noble).
Unlike unique skills,
it is magic that can be used by anyone, even non-nobles, regardless of the
lord's family's authority or bloodline.
The prerequisite is
that the individual has magic aptitude, and those who can use this magic are
called mages.
However, it is said
that only one in 5,000 people possesses this aptitude, making them extremely
rare.
The reason is simple.
Even if someone has the aptitude for magic, they will not awaken as a mage
unless they undergo the magic aptitude confirmation ritual that matches their
attribute.
In the first place,
there is no way to know in advance whether someone attempting the aptitude
confirmation has the aptitude for magic, or even what attribute of magic it
might be.
Therefore, when
testing for magic aptitude, it is necessary to undergo the aptitude
confirmation rituals for various attributes, one after another.
Even if all attributes
are tested, only a very small number of people possess the aptitude for magic
in the first place, and there is a very high possibility of ending up having
wasted both money and time.
Furthermore, the
biggest issue is the cost of the magic rituals.
The rituals require
"catalysts" appropriate for each attribute, which can only be
obtained from specific monsters, and even a single ritual costs an enormous
amount, more than the annual income of a commoner.
The reason for this is
the high cost of the catalysts used in the rituals.
To collect catalysts,
people venture into the demon realms where monsters reside and risk their lives
to hunt them.
There are even those who
make a living doing just that.
For these reasons,
mages have become a rare existence, only one in 5,000 people.
Because they are so
valuable, those who possess magic skills are in high demand, and most of them
are taken in by powerful nobles.
Frontier lands with
small populations and few powerful nobles have almost no mages.
Even within the Solis
baronial territory, besides the lord's family with unique skills, there is not
a single person with magic aptitude.
Or rather, the correct
answer would be that they haven't been discovered.
Sarah, the earth mage,
was brought by my mother from her maiden family. She herself is from a branch
family of the Cornell baronial family, so it's a unique skill based on
bloodline.
Even in a territory
with a population of 8,000, this was the reality.
Attempts and
explorations to determine magic aptitude without using catalysts had been
carried out since ancient times.
However, that method
has still not been established.
We only know things
that are said to be better than nothing.
For example,
・Those with aptitude for earth magic
→Can read ley lines and discover mines, or excel in
civil engineering.
・Those with aptitude for water magic
→Can accurately locate water veins and pinpoint
suitable places for wells.
・Those with aptitude for fire magic
→Can read the flow of fire and are not engulfed by
flames even in a fire.
・Those with aptitude for wind magic
→Can read the flow of wind, and many excel particularly
in archery skills.
・Those with aptitude for sound magic
→Have excellent hearing and excel in distinguishing
sounds and musical talent.
The potential
characteristics of mages are vaguely described in documents as abilities that
are slightly superior to those of ordinary people, with low certainty.
That's why I devised a
plan.
And that leads to the
operation of the archery range that I am currently carrying out.
※
One day in February,
the monthly regular meeting within the Solis baronial family, which had started
for flood countermeasures, was already the fifth meeting.
The gist of the
meeting was as follows:
〇Flood Response
The construction of
flood control was lagging behind schedule due to a shortage of earth mages.
The reason was that
there was also demand for civil engineering construction in other territories,
and my mother's family had accepted those requests, making it difficult to
secure earth mages to send to the Solis baronial family.
When warnings related
to the flood were issued to the surrounding lords, Viscount Gorman surprisingly
took them seriously and began working on flood control construction.
My mother's family
also received a request from Viscount Gorman to dispatch earth mages for the
construction, and they couldn't refuse, struggling to manage the earth mages
they could dispatch.
In addition, it was
decided at this meeting that relief and refugee countermeasures in the event of
a flood would follow the same approach as during the previous famine.
〇Archery Tournament
A report was given
that the first archery tournament would be held next month.
It was decided that an
organizing committee would be established for its implementation, with me in
charge of overall supervision, and the prize money for the top performers was
discussed and finalized.
Regarding the regular
tournaments, I was granted almost complete discretion and management authority.
〇Additional Proposal
And finally, I made a
proposal on a matter that was important to me.
"I believe that
securing earth mages is the most pressing issue right now. In response to this,
I would like to begin an attempt to find mages within our territory using a
method found in old documents."
My parents looked a
little dumbfounded, thinking I was doing something outlandish again, but I
deliberately ignored that.
"Hypothetically,
if I independently discovered a candidate for a mage and could officially
introduce them to us as a mage, would it be possible to receive compensation
for that?
I haven't found a
definite method yet, but for the time being, I would like to use my own gold
coins to try some things, so please approve this."
My parents didn't
actively oppose such a dubious story, but they looked clearly skeptical.
"If you are going
to do it under your own responsibility, we won't stop you. However, those are
valuable gold coins. Make two promises.
Don't make wasteful
investments, proceed little by little while observing the situation, and give
up honestly if your attempts fail."
Such conditions were
attached to the permission.
"I promise. Also,
I would like you to approve a few things as compensation for introducing
mages..."
Yes, this was the
important part.
I had to earn some
small change (gold coins) properly here...
・Receive compensation for discovering and introducing
someone with magic aptitude.
・The compensation will be in gold coins, the equivalent
of five magic aptitude rituals.
・For every five people introduced, one will become my
exclusive attendant.
・Even mages who become attendants will receive the
introduction compensation.
・The wages of those mages will also be paid by the
Solis baronial family.
These conditions were
accepted.
Even the Solis
baronial family currently wanted even just one mage, and the compensation
equivalent to five rituals was considerably advantageous in terms of
efficiency.
In the first place,
with a population of about 8,000, statistically, there would only be about one
or two people with magic aptitude.
In that case,
discovering and introducing five people was a pipe dream.
No matter how you
looked at it, it seemed impossible.
Father seemed to have
such a calculation in the background.
Well... that's not how
it's going to be.
While smiling inwardly
so that no one around me could see, I pondered my next move.
I had to make sure to
get sufficient future funds while Father had money (gold coins) to spare.
My money (gold coin)
making would accelerate from here.
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