The next day.
“…I feel like I’m going to die.”
“You can use healing magic, right?”
“My body is fine, but my heart feels like it’s dying….”
“Cheer up.”
Sion was sprawled out on his dorm bed. Professor Heruj’s training had continued until evening. Although he had alleviated his muscle pain with healing magic… the mental fatigue from training with Professor Heruj remained.
‘I can’t just mess around… and it’s hard to do something as dangerous as adventure work, so what should I do?’
Sion rolled around in his bed and suddenly glanced at Patrick. Patrick was dressed for going out and was adjusting his clothes while looking in the mirror.
“Patrick, where are you going?”
“Me? To a part-time job.”
“…A part-time job?”
“Yeah. I decided to work part-time at a restaurant in the academy shopping area.”
“I see…”
“Sion, aren’t you going to work part-time?”
“Me, me?”
At Patrick’s question, Sion froze. Patrick, the son of a baron, was working part-time, but it seemed a bit strange for someone like Sion, who had no backing, to be doing nothing and just lazing around.
‘A part-time job… come to think of it, there were people asking me if I wanted to work part-time.’
The first was Professor Ronda Magret.
– “Sion, if you’re interested…”
– “… I’m sorry…”
– “Could you help with paperwork in my professor’s research room? Of course, I’ll pay you—”
– “I’m so sorry!!”
In Professor Ronda Magret’s research room, Sion had helped her with her paperwork. He had only done what he had learned as a graduate student, but there had been a glint of madness in her eyes… just like Professor Heruj’s yesterday.
So, he had run away immediately.
‘…Surely, Professor Ronda Magret is a bit… like that, right?’
It wasn’t that he disliked her; it was the fact that she was a ‘professor’ that was the problem. Being friendly with a professor as a college student was like a carnivore befriending a herbivore. In a situation where he could be eaten and become a ‘graduate student’ at any moment, how could he feel safe working part-time?
‘The second one is at the Magic Tool Shop… right?’
At the Magic Tool Shop located in the academy shopping area. There, he had met a Dark Elf named Kainstos when he went shopping for a staff with Serenne.
– “You’re worthy of using my wand. Make good use of it.”
– “Thank you.”
– “Enough thanks. Come to our workshop later. If you participate in some of our experiments, I’ll pay you. Well then, bye!”
– “Ah…”
She unexpectedly invited him to come to the workshop. It became a hot topic that she had chosen the ‘Armut of Manifestation’ suspected to be made by Kainstos.
‘It’s not a part-time job, but participating in an experiment… it shouldn’t be dangerous, right?’ Surely they wouldn’t conduct biological experiments on an academy student. …Although given it’s a medieval fantasy world, he couldn’t be certain.
Still, if he had to choose between Professor Ronda Magret and Kainstos, he would choose Kainstos——
“I think I should go work part-time too.”
“Suddenly? Where are you going?”
“To the magic workshop.”
Sion got up and began to prepare to go out. The magic workshop of Kainstos. He thought of earning money whether it was for experiments or part-time work.
“Is this… Kainstos’ magic workshop?”
In an outer area slightly away from the academy shopping area, there was a prominently built magic workshop. It was a two-story building that seemed to combine a forge and a shop. The sign of the building, which showed signs of wear from time, boldly read ‘Kainstos Magic Workshop.’
“…Excuse me.”
Ding ding—
As he opened the door, a doorbell rang. Sion cautiously stepped inside the workshop. The inside of the workshop was quite noisy, as sounds of hammering, water pouring, and magical incantations echoed, suggesting that work was well underway.
“Is anyone here?”
“Oh, you’ve come?”
“…Yes?”
When Sion mustered the courage to speak with a louder voice, someone came toward him. It was a woman who looked like she could be seen anywhere in the academy. As she glanced up and down at Sion, her eyebrows twitched.
“Your school uniform is fine, but… why are you so late? It’s a problem if you start like this on the first day.”
“Uh… I’m sorry…?”
“Never mind, quickly follow me. We’re busy.”
“……Yes.”
Sion followed her closely, despite questions racing through his mind.
‘Why is she asking why I’m late…? What does she mean?’
For a moment, he wondered if he had called or texted before coming here, but there had been nothing at all. He was just thinking of meeting Kainstos and receiving payment for the experiments.
“Okay, sit down here.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then let’s get started.”
“…?”
Sion sat next to the woman, still confused. The small workshop had heaps of staffs and magic stones piled up.
‘I’m already not fond of this.’
The person working as an intern at Kainstos’ workshop, Kathleen Lockheat. She did not have a good feeling about the ‘newcomer’ who was said to come to the magic workshop today.
‘This is why the academy’s compulsory internship system should be abolished.’
The newcomer who was coming to the magic workshop today was not a formal intern, but rather a ‘compulsory intern’ sent as part of a program from the academy. It meant that he would spend six months as a mandatory intern at the Kainstos workshop, which had partnered with the academy.
Naturally, his motivation was lower than that of other interns, and his performance was pathetic.
‘Sigh… Still, let’s try to teach him well… He’s quite handsome after all.’
Kathleen glanced sideways at Sion, who was sitting next to her. Even if she didn’t know his name, his messy hair and small stature matched her preferences quite well. Although his work skills were somewhat lacking, his appearance was a plus.
Of course, if he couldn’t do his job well, the plus would revert to zero.
“Why are you staring blankly? Do you not know how to use enhancement magic?”
“Ah, um… could you show me a demonstration just once?”
“A demonstration?… Hmm, fine. Keep your eyes wide open and watch closely.”
Kathleen took one of the countless magic stones and staffs from the heaps and placed them on her workbench. She brought a magic stone to the center part of the staff.
Then she closed her eyes and began to chant.
“O breath of the elements, dwell within this staff, grant power, Grant!”
Whoosh!
Her magic gently enveloped the staff and magic stone. Then the stone shattered with a pop, and the crystals seeped into various parts of the staff.
“Wow… beautiful.”
Seeing Sion’s face filled with pure admiration, Kathleen raised one corner of her mouth. Even as a half-hearted intern who would leave after six months, she felt good at that moment of teaching.
If not for this intern, she would have been the youngest at Kainstos Magic Workshop.
Being able to show off even like this was her only source of pride.
“Hu hu… What do you think, newcomer? Can you do this?”
“I’ll give it a try.”
“Alright. Go ahead.”
“Yes.”
Sion grabbed the magic stone and staff just like she did.
‘Can he really do well? Practice and real situations are different after all.’
Since Kathleen had graduated from the academy, she knew well the difficulties of enhancement magic. When practicing at the academy, they used teaching materials where the magic was evenly distributed.
But real-world objects were different.
‘Even if it’s the same staff, the distribution of magic is different.’
The staffs piled high seemed identical, but they were slightly different. The distribution of magic, the wavelength compatible with the magic, the magic absorption rate, and the magic conductivity, etc. Each staff needed to be assessed and the magic stones properly distributed.
If not, the effect of enhancement magic would drop significantly.
‘For a newcomer, achieving about 70% effectiveness would be considered good. Let’s see.’
She watched Sion’s enhancement magic with an expression like that of a child watching their first steps. While his tardiness was irritating, she hoped his skills wouldn’t be that bad.
As she watched—
“Grant!”
“…?”
Whoosh!
Kathleen’s expression crumpled at the incantation’s phrasing that went beyond a shortcut chant.
‘Would the effectiveness even increase with a name chant after doing a proper full chant?’
If he was at the level of a graduating class from the academy, he might be capable of a shortcut chant. However, even so, the accuracy and augmentation of the magic when performing a full chant could not be ignored.
There was no reason to try and shorten the chant when it wasn’t a tense battlefield.
“Hey! How can you just cast a spell with only the name?”
“Uh…?”
“Do you not know that it lowers the effectiveness? Oh dear, how can I not feel sorry for this staff… huh?”
Swoosh!
Kathleen snatched the staff from Sion’s hand as if taking it away.
Feeling its lightness, she infused her magic into it, and the sensation was extraordinary. The magic flowed smoothly, and she felt an overwhelming sense of power within her body.
‘…This is at least over 80%, isn’t it?’
Having infused enhancement magic into staffs all day long, Kathleen could tell just by looking and touching.
How well enhancement magic had penetrated into that staff.
And Sion’s staff, compared to her own, was no different at all.
The efficiency of her staff done with a full chant and his staff with a name chant didn’t differ significantly.
“Ah… I’m sorry. I’ll do the chant properly.”
“Uh? Oh, no need to.”
“…Then can I just do it my way?”
“Hmm… you’re pretty good, aren’t you?”
“Thank you. I will do my best!”
Fist clenched, the academy student ignited with motivation. Kathleen was taken aback.
“Then shall we continue?”
“Yes! Thank you for your guidance!”
“Uh, right.”
Whoosh!
Sion’s enhancement magic continued. He took out the magic stones and staffs, used enhancement magic, and moved the completed staffs outside.
While it could be considered a simple task, each staff had its unique property, so he had to pay attention to it.
Surely that was the case…
Boom!
Sion infused enhancement magic at almost a rate of one every five seconds. Kathleen wanted to shout, ‘Don’t rush, put in all your effort!’ but she had nothing to say due to the high magic conductivity that was evident.
Even so, the fact that his enhancement magic was functioning properly was proof of his skill.
‘……Huh. Now he’s even doing it without chanting.’
Kathleen couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration as she glanced at Sion. He was producing three staffs in the time it took her to make just one.
Despite producing them so fast, the quality was barely distinguishable from her own.
‘These kids are terrifying… If I don’t work hard, I might find myself unemployed.’
…Kathleen’s standards for the academy had been raised due to Sion.
