Magic Tool Workshop

So, you were interested in magic tools, then?

Yes!

Damn, there was so much to take in that I almost forgot what I came here for.

To begin with, what exactly are magic tools? I've never even seen one...

That's only natural. Magic tools are only available to nobles.

Why?

Because they're expensive. They're priced far beyond what commoners could ever afford, even if they spent their whole lives saving.

That expensive...?

Yes, because the raw materials are precious too. The price will never come down. It would be difficult for magic tools to become available to commoners.

Seriously...? Just when I thought I'd found something useful... I'd been so hopeful that the despair hit me hard.

What are these precious raw materials? If I could get them, could I somehow make magic tools...?

What are the raw materials?

Magic stones and magic iron.

Magic stones and magic iron...? What are those?

A magic stone is a transparent, gemstone-like object. When you pour mana into it, it manifests the spell corresponding to that mana. Magic iron is iron that can be freely reshaped when mana flows through it. Magic tools are made by shaping magic iron and fitting a magic stone into it.

So they're like batteries and iron...? So there really are things like machines here! I want one...!

Where can I get magic stones and magic iron...!?

I asked excitedly, but his answer immediately crushed my enthusiasm.

All the mines where magic stones and magic iron are found are state-owned, and the government buys everything extracted from them, so there's no way for you to get any. Magic tools are made in state-run workshops as well.

Oh no... Then there was absolutely no way for me to get one! Was there any way I could somehow obtain one...?

As if monopolizing sugar weren't enough, nobles monopolized magic tools too!

Wait, but this is a magic tool workshop, right? If all workshops are supposed to be state-run, why is there one here?

Old man, why is this magic tool workshop here? Aren't magic tools made in state-run workshops...?

Ah, this workshop is special. I worked at a state-run workshop until recently, but I retired because of my age. Normally, I'd simply have retired, but I wanted to keep making magic tools, so I started this workshop.

Can you really start a workshop that easily?

Normally, no. An invention I made long ago was supposed to earn me a noble title, but instead of granting me that title, they gave me permission to run my own magic tool workshop. These days, I spend my time coming up with new magic tools and selling them.

I see... So there aren't any other workshops that aren't state-run?

I don't think so. They wouldn't approve them easily, and not many people want to keep making magic tools after retiring. The pay at the state-run workshops is good, so they don't have to worry about money.

So this is the only magic tool workshop that isn't state-run? This is unbelievably lucky! If I hadn't come here, I never would have even learned magic tools existed.

I wonder if he'd sell me one of the magic tools made here as long as I paid...

Old man, if I had enough money to buy a magic tool, would you sell one to me?

No, I can't sell them. One of the conditions for being allowed to run this workshop is that I sell every magic tool to the state-run workshops. I imagine it's to make sure none of the precious raw materials are being wasted.

I see... So they check that none of the raw materials leak out by comparing the amount they sell to you with the amount they buy back from you...

Then does that mean it's impossible for me to get a magic tool? It's not like I can become a noble...

I'd finally found something useful, and I couldn't just give up...!

I decided to ask the old man directly.

Old man, I'm just a commoner—the son of a restaurant owner. Is there any way for me to get a magic tool?

Hmm... It would be difficult, but you might have a chance if you went to the Royal Academy. Also, once you graduate from the Royal Academy, you can become a government official, and magic tools are used in the officials' dormitory at the royal palace.

The Royal Academy!! So this world had schools after all.

But that means I might be able to live comfortably with magic tools if I went there. In that case, I'll aim for the Royal Academy!!

But can a commoner get in?

Can commoners go there too?

Anyone can take the entrance exam, at least, so you can enroll if you pass.

What about the money...?

Tuition and textbooks are free. But since it's mostly nobles, socializing will probably cost money, and if you don't wear nice clothes, you'll stand out. Also, since the school is in the central district, you'll need money to live nearby.

It's good that tuition and textbooks are free, but it sounds like I'd need quite a lot of money for everything else...

I really do need to think of a way to make money...

Is the entrance exam difficult?

It's an exam that noble children take after studying from a young age, so commoners almost never pass. The only commoners who do are usually the children of wealthy merchants.

How old are children when they start school?

School runs for five years, from age ten to fifteen. How old are you?

I turned eight this year.

Then you have a little less than two years. The exam is held at the end of winter, and school starts in spring.

If I have two years, I should be able to make it if I study... I'm a college student at heart, after all!

Now I just had to figure out how to study...

Could you teach me?

I'm afraid I can't. I've forgotten a lot myself, and I don't have any textbooks either. I also don't get along very well with my family back home.

I see...

I'd already hit a roadblock... With my knowledge, arithmetic should be fine, but I don't know anything about history...

For now, I'll think about studying later. There's no point in troubling the old man.

Then I'll think about how to study on my own. As for the money...

I'd thought of one way to make money. The old man had said he was coming up with magic tools. That meant he wasn't making them to order; he was inventing new ones.

If so, I thought I might be able to make money by selling my knowledge.

If you think a magic tool I've come up with is a good idea, would you buy the idea from me?

A magic tool you came up with? How could you come up with one when you've never even seen a magic tool?

That's... a secret. Would that be all right?

If this failed, I'd have to start over from scratch. I waited for his answer, desperately hoping he'd accept.

After a while, the old man answered.

Well, all right. But I can't have it credited to you, so it would have to be credited to me instead. Is that all right? The royalties would go to me, too.

That's totally fine. What are royalties?

Ah, I didn't explain that. The person who invents a magic tool first is given priority to make it. However, anyone else can also make it if they pay a royalty for using the idea. It's a proper system because the invention is registered with the royal court, and it can't be changed later.

I see... It's something like a patent. Honestly, I'd like to register it under my own name, but there's nothing I can do about that.

That's fine with me. But please factor the royalties into the price when you buy my idea.

Hmph. If it's a good idea.

I'll come up with a good one. I actually wanted to ask you about the magic tools that already exist, but I've already been here quite a while. If I come back another time, could you tell me about the existing magic tools?

Of course. I'm always here, so come by whenever you like.

Thank you! I'll definitely come back! Oh, may I ask your name, old man? I'm Leon!

I'm Marcel.

Then I'll come back again!

I said that, then left the workshop and started running home. With a clearer view of what lay ahead, my steps felt considerably lighter.