Chapter 43
***
Every autumn.
Whenever the first frost covered the earth, the Empire's mages would gather in one place.
The Grand Magical Academic Festival.
Also known as the Arcane Olympiad.
It was held for what was conveniently called the Autumn Symposium.
To mages, the Autumn Symposium was not merely a forum for sharing knowledge.
It was where the geniuses of the entire continent proved their achievements and vied for supremacy in the magical world.
Furthermore, it was a place where they could indirectly show off the national power of the countries they belonged to.
In Julian's words, it was the mages' Olympics.
Countless mages from around the world would flock to the imperial capital for this symposium.
There was no particular reason that the Empire's Autumn Symposium, rather than another country's, had become the mages' Olympics.
“Ugh. Is today's schedule over already….”
Because the Father of Magic lived in the imperial capital.
And the only public event he took part in was this symposium.
Thanks to his existence alone, no magical academic conference in human history had ever surpassed the Olympics in prestige.
“Phew. At least I got one disciple right in my later years.”
And after finishing the first day's schedule at this year's Autumn Symposium, the Great Sage relaxed at a townhouse owned by the Mercure Merchant Guild.
“Then I hope you have a pleasant time, Great Sage.”
The attendant withdrew.
With his feet soaking in a basin where herbs floated gently, the Great Sage recalled what had happened today.
It had been a fine day indeed.
He had seen his disciples' faces for the first time in a while,
— “Adlen, Master of the January Tower, pays his respects, Grand Master.”
— “Have you been in good health, Master?”
and caught up on their recent news,
— “Ah, that's right. You all should know. I've recently gained a youngest disciple.”
— “What? When?”
— “Come to think of it… it's been about three years.”
and enjoyed seeing that his Tower Master disciples were all in good health.
— “What! Why are you only telling us now!”
— “Hooray! I'm not the youngest anymore!”
— “Are they cute?”
— “When are you going to introduce them to us?”
It had been a fine day in many ways.
The presentations by the rookie mages had been boring, but that was unavoidable.
There had not been any particularly worthwhile presentations at the symposium, but it had still been nice to see the passion of promising young mages.
‘But of everything on today's schedule, dinner was by far the most satisfying….’
The Great Sage gently closed his eyes at the warm herbal scent rising from his feet.
Across from him, a calm and elegant melody flowed from the brass horn of a gramophone on the table.
The Great Sage let out a languid breath and looked around the room.
The floor was covered by a top-quality carpet that swallowed his ankles in softness.
The fireplace held premium mana coal that produced no smoke or acrid smell whatsoever.
On the table within reach sat 900-year brandy in a crystal decanter.
It was the ultimate in luxury, the very pinnacle of the age, beyond what even nobles could easily enjoy.
‘That boy… he must be making money hand over fist.’
Pouring amber brandy into a crystal glass, the Great Sage let out a chuckle.
The face of his adorable youngest disciple rose in his mind.
“I wonder where he learned it. He certainly learned how to treat his master properly.”
When he took a sip of brandy, the lingering aroma of the oak barrel on the tip of his tongue was exquisite.
As he enjoyed it, Louis found himself thinking about the merchant guild providing this lavish hospitality.
‘The world really is unfair. After giving him that talent and that appearance, it even gave him such business acumen.’
In the Empire's commercial world, the Mercure Merchant Guild's name had become the very eye of the storm.
According to the Great Sage's investigation, the guild had been driven to the brink of bankruptcy by repeated sabotage and a course of excessive honesty.
But five years ago, the guild had suddenly unveiled three medicines and risen to prominence as a new powerhouse.
And now the guild had unveiled vaccines as well.
‘Even after I made the patent available. In the end, this guild monopolized vaccines.’
There had been no such thing as a patent on the Schnabel formula or the vaccine manufacturing method.
Naturally, other guilds had also jumped into vaccine production.
But the result was the Mercure Merchant Guild's monopoly on vaccines.
‘Perhaps it was the inevitable result.’
The reason was simple.
The Mercure Merchant Guild had already finished preparing before the vaccine was made public.
Production facilities. Distribution networks. Skilled personnel.
While the other guilds were frantically deciphering the formula, Mercure was already churning out vaccines.
On top of that, there was the trust that came from being the original.
Vaccines were injected directly into the body.
No matter how cheap they were, no one wanted to casually use an unverified medicine.
The Mercure Merchant Guild, on the other hand, was different.
A rising star that had appeared like a comet five years ago and unveiled miraculous medicines almost every other day.
The guild had built up enough trust that a rumor was circulating in the capital: anyone who waited to use a new Mercure medicine was a fool.
As a result, even after vaccines were released to the world, people sought only the Mercure Merchant Guild's vaccines.
‘They'll be Grade One soon.’
The guild was currently the overwhelming number one among the Grade Two guilds, with no competition even worth comparing it to.
Considering the connections and capital it had spread through the imperial family and nobility, it was obvious that within a year or two at most, it would be promoted to a Grade One guild, the pinnacle of the commercial world.
And the Great Sage's youngest disciple had now become a major shareholder and co-manager, owning 15 percent of that guild.
“Good grief. With your palate this refined, I wonder if you'll even be able to drink plain water when you return to the Tower later.”
A groan escaped the Great Sage's lips.
Even so, the satisfied smile at the corners of his mouth did not disappear.
Warm herbal water, premium brandy, the scent of a cigar brushing his nose, and even a nocturne tickling his ears.
He had lived long enough to enjoy every kind of wealth and glory.
But this sweet luxury, lovingly offered by his adorable disciple, naturally felt special.
‘He said he'd be giving scholarships every year now, too.’
This year, Julian had sent 100 million marcs to the Great Sage.
But the Great Sage remembered the promise Julian had made last time.
— “I recently established a scholarship foundation after hearing what you said, Master, but right now I have so much to reinvest in the company because of the vaccine business that this is all I can support you with for the time being. Still, the business will be on track in three years. After that….”
He had heard that the foundation was willing to invest 500 million marcs every year.
When he heard that figure, the Great Sage could not help but chuckle.
— “Julian. Do you know how much money that is? What will you do if you can't use it when you really need it?”
— “Five silver coins per person.”
— “?”
— “That's the price of a vaccine. If these vaccines are mandatory for everyone in the world, how many marcs do you think I'll earn each year whenever I develop one?”
After hearing that, the Great Sage decided to stop worrying about his youngest disciple's finances.
Who was worrying about whose finances, anyway?
It was obvious that before long, his disciple would become rich enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with a ducal house.
No exaggeration.
If Julian proposed a political marriage to a duke's daughter from a slightly cash-strapped ducal house, wouldn't the duke agree without a second thought?
‘I hear even his father doesn't know how much Julian earns right now.’
The only medicine in which the head of House Nihirit held a stake was quinine.
The shares in all the subsequent medicines belonged solely to Julian.
As a result, the head of the house only knew that Julian's income was vaguely substantial, without even being able to guess the specific figure.
‘Tsk, tsk. Insulin and vaccines are the real treasures, not quinine.’
In any case.
The other mages were also grinning from ear to ear at the massive donations this massive guild was making and the lavish hospitality it provided for the symposium.
They were so pleased that even those arrogant mages went so far as to praise the Mercure Merchant Guild as ‘a merchant guild with a sense of honor.’
‘That boy's already got this side completely under his thumb.’
Recalling how Julian had secretly gotten the mages on a leash, the Great Sage clicked his tongue in amazement.
It was then.
‘Hm?’
The Great Sage's brow twitched as he enjoyed his luxury with his eyes languidly closed.
The gramophone's nocturne, which had been flowing softly by his ears, faded into the distance.
Instead, a single ripple of tingling mana flowed in from deep inside his mind.
— Squeak.
The tiny, sharp cry of an animal.
A mansion in Sanctum Hill, dozens of kilometers away.
The view of the long-haired weasel he had left atop the roof of Baron House Nihirit was vividly superimposed in the Great Sage's mind.
‘What's going on?’
Fitz.
His grimoire and familiar.
He had originally planned to use a rat, but after it kept getting eaten by stray cats, he had been forced to switch to a long-haired weasel.
The Great Sage set his brandy glass down on the table.
Then, with his eyes closed, he took in all the visual information Fitz sent him.
Inside a dark room.
A young girl, Freya, lay on a bed, hovering between life and death.
And beside her was his youngest disciple, Julian, clutching a syringe as sweat streamed down his face.
[“It'll sting a little, Freya.”]
After administering the medicine, Julian continued nursing his little sister.
But cruelly, the world kept trying to take his little sister's life.
So Julian sent the priestess out of the room and took a gamble.
He cast black magic on his little sister.
And then an utterly unbelievable scene unfolded.
“Oh….”
The demon disease had been cured.
By black magic, no less.
“Heh heh heh….”
Laughter flowed between the Great Sage's lips.
It was the joy of discovering what he had so long desired.
A disbelieving laugh at his youngest disciple's overwhelming talent.
It was laughter in which countless emotions were intricately tangled together.
“Good heavens…. To think the answer lay in black magic.”
Over the past several hundred years,
the Great Sage had witnessed countless miracles wrought by magic.
It had sent carriages rolling without a word, lit fires without flame, and overcome the seasons to regulate indoor temperatures.
Yet no matter how much the times and magic advanced, magic could never trespass into one domain.
Healing and life.
It was a domain that, throughout history, only the divine had ever been able to handle.
But at this very moment,
a boy was rewriting that history once again.
“Was it a mistake to make black magic taboo….”
Black magic was magic that directly touched life.
Because of this, even the slightest ignorance or mistake could call forth tragedy, while the slightest corruption could summon a disaster that would go down in history.
That was why the world, including the Great Sage, had developed in the direction of fearing and suppressing black magic so intensely.
“Magnificent.”
Julian had broken through that prejudice and was writing a new history.
“Hahahahaha! Magnificent! Truly magnificent!”
The Great Sage's heart, parched and hardened after nearly a thousand years of life, began to pound madly.
The long-cherished dream he had all but abandoned.
His disciple had achieved the miracle of healing through magic.
By curing demon disease, something even that vaunted divine power had failed to accomplish!
It was a feat no other disciple had ever achieved!
“You are moving ahead of me!”
Until now, his disciples had been occupied with following the path the Great Sage had walked.
Of course, each had achieved feats surpassing the Great Sage in their own fields, but in the end, none had escaped that framework.
But Julian had shattered that framework and soared beyond it for all to see.
The Great Sage downed the remaining brandy in one gulp.
The taste of the strong liquor going down his throat was bland.
The history of new magic his disciple had just written was far more potent and exhilarating.
He was still laughing, steeped in rapture and joy, when
his disciple had achieved such a historic feat, making it only natural that he, as a master, should bestow a grand congratulatory gift worthy of it.
But as he wondered what would make his beloved disciple happy,
a practical problem suddenly crossed his mind.
The Great Sage's expression stiffened ever so slightly.
“Hmm.”
He set the empty glass down on the table.
The Great Sage sat in a chair, resting his chin on his hand.
‘Fifteen.’
Julian von Nihirit.
He was fifteen years old this year.
For a commoner, it was the age to help with farm work.
But in noble society, fifteen was the age when one should begin choosing a betrothed and looking for a marriage prospect for the family's future.
It was not that he failed to understand.
In a world where noble titles were influenced by magical talent,
and where a mage's talent was genuinely affected by bloodline, it was not strange for nobles to start looking for marriage prospects at this age.
It was just that, thinking of Julian as being at that age,
‘Tsk. This is the time when he should be out making his mark.’
The Great Sage frowned without realizing it.
House Nihirit.
Its head, Hendel, was a brilliant bureaucrat, but the family itself was far too minor to be called a central noble house.
To make matters worse, Julian was thoroughly disguised in public as ‘the eldest son who had absolutely no talent as a mage,’ a complete dullard.
If things continued this way, Hendel would surely find ‘the daughter of a middling noble family with adequate wealth and power’ and try to marry Julian into her family.
“Out of the question.”
The Great Sage's sole blue eye turned cold.
Of course, as a master, he wanted his disciple to enjoy an ordinary, comfortable happiness.
But if Julian were to grovel before some mediocre noble lady and marry into her family?
And that girl becoming Julian's shackle?
“That must not happen.”
It would be a loss for humanity and, beyond that, a tragedy for the Great Sage himself.
He wanted to see the bird take flight.
Not shackled with restraints that did not fit him and locked in a cage.
“Even a marquis's daughter would hardly suffice.”
The Great Sage clicked his tongue and shook his head.
He wanted to find Julian a partner who suited him, somehow.
But there was a fatal contradiction here.
‘That said, I can't exactly reveal Julian's identity to the world.’
What if it became known that Julian was the true owner of the Mercure Merchant Guild and the creator of the Schnabel formula?
What if it was also revealed that he was the Great Sage's youngest disciple?
And what if people learned that he could cure demon disease?
The imperial family, not to mention the kings and Tower Masters across the entire continent, would come knocking at House Nihirit's door, offering their daughters and granddaughters.
But excessive attention was a sure way to dry up a flower and kill it.
Julian had not yet grown enough to bear the greed and attention of that vast world.
Besides, he was a child with no talent as a mage, struggling even to protect himself.
It would not be right for a master to place all those burdens on him.
‘What should I do….’
He would have to conceal Julian's identity completely while finding the best fiancée suited to his disciple's station.
It was an exceedingly difficult problem even for the Great Sage.
With his chin buried in his interlaced hands, the Great Sage sank into deep thought for a long while.
“….”
After a long silence, the Great Sage's closed lips slowly curled into a smile.
“Ah.”
Tapping the table lightly, the Great Sage nodded.
There was exactly one person.
When Julian's talent fully blossomed,
someone suited to him flashed through his mind.
“Yes… that girl would be perfect.”
A distinctly mischievous smile spread across the Great Sage's lips at the thought of the young lady.
But the Great Sage did not dare speak the young lady's name aloud.
Instead, he merely lifted the empty brandy glass and lightly pretended to clink it against the air.
“I should go have a cup of tea at the Imperial Palace sometime soon.”
Just thinking about matching wits with the person who had come to mind already exhausted the Great Sage.
What would he have to offer that sly old fox this time?
He had taken on the position of Imperial Magical Adviser because of a single slip of the tongue,
but this time, he might inadvertently end up as Chancellor for life.
But for the sake of his youngest disciple, it was trouble well worth enduring.
Breaking off that train of thought, the Great Sage turned his attention to another problem.
‘In any case, I need to solve the other problem too.’
By then, it was morning outside the window.
While the Great Sage had been worrying over his youngest disciple, the moon had set and the sun had risen.
Sleep was a luxury for an Eighth-Circle Archmage, so he did not lament the night that had passed.
Instead, he focused once more on the view relayed by Fitz through their mental link.
‘Since my disciple left things unfinished, it's only right that his master take care of it.’
In his eyes, his youngest disciple was an innocent boy who did not know how to protect even his own rice bowl.
Too innocent, and too kind.
Almost like the saint recorded in scripture.
But the Great Sage, after a thousand years of life, was no saint.
‘I'm sorry, miss.’
Through Fitz's view connected to his mind,
he saw the low-ranking priestess leaving the front gate of House Nihirit.
It seemed she had been summoned by Hendel, the head of the house, warned, and released.
She was hurrying out of the mansion with a pouch of gold coins clasped protectively to her chest.
Watching her back, the Great Sage quietly gave Fitz an order.
‘Follow her.’
The Great Sage was inclined to believe in people's potential.
But he did not blindly trust people's goodwill or their ability to keep a secret.
‘There is no guarantee that this priestess will keep her mouth shut for the rest of her life after returning home.’
The noble head of the house may have threatened her coldly, but fear inevitably dulls with time.
She would remain silent for now, repeating that warning to herself over and over.
But human mouths were fickle; swept up by drunkenness at a drinking party, she might let something slip, or be unable to bear the secret and seek out a confessional.
And that small slip would spread the secret like a dam breaking.
In that sense, Hendel Nihirit's method was far too soft.
Fear alone could not keep someone silent forever.
It probably would not last a year.
The surest way to silence someone was not fear, but to give them a vested interest in keeping their mouth shut.
The Great Sage's gaze slowly swept across the table.
Symposium-related materials, and a mountain of invitations sent by nobles.
And bundles of documents regularly sent by the Mercure Merchant Guild for its reports.
One of the documents caught the Great Sage's single eye.
[Mercure Merchant Guild Talent Development Scholarship Foundation — Request for This Year's Scholarship Recommendations]
The Great Sage's eyes narrowed like a snake's.
‘Come to think of it, she said she had two daughters.’
Swish.
The Great Sage picked up a fountain pen.
Neat handwriting flowed across the fine scroll.
Two recommendation letters.
One was a special scholarship recommendation for the seminary directly administered by the Sun Church monastery.
The other was an admission recommendation for the Imperial Academy High School.
The sender was the Mercure Merchant Guild Talent Development Foundation.
The sponsor was undisclosed.
“I'm sorry, miss.”
The Great Sage looked down at the two completed recommendation letters with a broad smile.
A master could be this sincere for the sake of his disciple's future,
so how much more would a parent be?
“But I don't think it will be such a bad offer for you, either.”
The brighter a lifeline gleams with gold, the better it is for hanging around one's neck.
Repeating that proverb to himself, the Great Sage carefully folded the two recommendation letters and placed them in envelopes.