A Masterpiece

The old butler's words had successfully added love and death to this family drama.

But the old man himself was a walking contradiction.

On one hand, he couldn't bear to see what had happened to his young mistress; on the other, he understood better than anyone the consequences of disobeying the head of the household.

"So you came up with a compromise."

Ethan leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "You knew the magi in Fireplace Bay wouldn't take on such an outlandish commission. Bringing her here lets you tell yourself you did everything you could."

That was only human nature. Ethan had no intention of blaming him. Still, it seemed this deal was doomed to fall through. Although he badly needed the invitation to enter the town, Old Sen's magic scroll business was only just getting started, and this was the time to build a reputation. If he took on this commission, the butler would probably be in a bad way.

"I understand." He nodded. "Then I should go look for my next client."

"Wait!"

The old butler stopped Ethan with a cold shout. He stared hard at the face hidden beneath Ethan's masquerade mask, as if trying to see right through him. "You seemed awfully confident just now. Can you really do it? With just a few magic scrolls? I don't know who taught you Elemental Magic, but you're up against a Grand Magus of the Astrology Society!"

Ethan had seen through his intentions.

The butler had watched the young mistress grow up and cared for her like his own granddaughter. Naturally, he couldn't resist her pleading. But he also knew that no one could help her now. There was no one like that in the Imperial Capital, and none in Fireplace Bay either.

Until Ethan had just made a bold promise in front of them.

He was willing to wait until the job was done before accepting payment?

Only someone supremely confident would make such a promise. The butler simply didn't know where that confidence came from.

He kept a stern expression, deliberately making his voice sound harsher. "You should know what happens to people who deceive nobles. If you let the young mistress down, I'll find you even if it costs me my life."

"You should know what it'll mean if I succeed, shouldn't you?"

Ethan was a little surprised. He had to remind the butler of the consequences.

"I have my own way of handling that. If you're worried about your payment afterward, I'll arrange for someone to deliver it even if I can't come in person... Tell me, how much do you want?"

"I want an invitation to enter the town."

There was a knowing look in the old butler's eyes. That answer told him plenty.

This Elemental Shaper who had appeared from nowhere wasn't a noble, and he clearly hadn't graduated from the "Academy." Otherwise, if he'd performed well enough while there, plenty of families would have made him offers.

He still couldn't figure out where Ethan had learned his craft. Even when he heard the title Grand Magus of the Astrology Society, he hadn't hesitated for a moment.

"Can you arrange that for me?"

Ethan's question brought the old butler back to the present. After a moment's thought, he said, "That won't be difficult."

"Then let's get started."

"Now? Right here?"

The old butler was astonished once again. He'd imagined that even if Ethan could produce magic scrolls capable of going toe-to-toe with a Grand Magus, they would take a long time to make. He was about to remind him that they had only one day—the elite force would set out for the Imperial border tomorrow evening.

"This won't do. I need to buy the basic materials from an Energy-Storing Parchment shop first."

Ethan counted on his fingers. "You'll need twelve magic scrolls. Nine for outwitting the 'evil wizard,' and the other three as parting gifts."

The old butler had said this was a one-way expedition. Perhaps the three extra Fireball Spell scrolls could give his client's beloved a small chance of changing his fate.

"Could I see your workshop?"

"Of course."

Heisenberg was a powerful Elemental Shaper.

All along the way, the old butler kept trying to convince himself that he'd made peace with the decision to go through with the commission.

But...

Heisenberg had gone into an ordinary Energy-Storing Parchment shop and, right in front of him, bought twelve of the cheapest sheets they had.

Still, that shouldn't be a problem. The more powerful a supernatural being was, the more effortless their control over magic became.

He'd once toured the most famous magic scroll factory in the Imperial Capital. It brought together the best scroll-makers on the continent, and the true masters were never ones to show off.

Once again, the old butler found a reason to excuse this suspicious behavior.

But when Ethan bought the scrolls, went straight off the boat, found an open patch of beach, and sat down, the butler could no longer hold back. "Are we... making them here?"

All those true masters had their own workshops, filled with all kinds of precision drafting tools.

Their workshops had precise measuring instruments to observe the flow of magic and guide it into patterns on Energy-Storing Parchment. Making scrolls at a master level was an extremely precise craft. It required unparalleled control over magic, and even the slightest mistake would lower the quality of the scroll.

Yet Ethan had simply sat down on the beach, facing the sea like a painter setting up to sketch from life.

A magic scroll-maker like this would have been thrown out of the factory by his master while still an apprentice.

Perhaps...

Heisenberg had some little-known scroll-making technique. His magic was related to the elements, after all; facing the sea might help him commune with nature at closer range.

The old butler racked his brains trying to make excuses for Ethan, but it wasn't easy.

Especially since making all twelve scrolls had taken only about ten minutes.

There wasn't a single scroll-maker in the world who would treat their work so carelessly!

The thread of reason in the butler's mind roared in protest. From the moment this man had bought low-grade Energy-Storing Parchment, not one thing about him had seemed professional.

But...

But!

The man called himself Heisenberg. At least the name sounded professional.

The butler couldn't think of any more excuses. He could only mutter nonsense to himself while watching Ethan give the young mistress hands-on instructions on how to use the twelve scrolls.

"It's simple. If the 'evil wizard' comes after you, activate three Ice Arrow scrolls at the same time. And these three are Fireball Spell scrolls. Once you've met your beloved, give them to him and tell him to use all three together if he ever finds himself in danger."

The young girl listened intently, and at last, a spark returned to her eyes.

It really was simple. Even the young mistress, who had never encountered Elemental Magic, could easily understand.

Too simple, if anything. The old butler had never heard anyone explain magic scrolls like this.

For starters, every magic scroll corresponded to a particular spell. The higher the level of the spell, the harder it was to inscribe, and the higher its price.

Buyers needed to know the spell's name, then activate the scroll when the situation called for it.

That was how magic scrolls were supposed to be used!

The old butler held his tongue until Ethan had finished explaining, then asked, "Did you just forget to tell us which spells these scrolls correspond to?"

If they wanted to go toe-to-toe with a Grand Magus of the Astrology Society, they'd need at least fourth-tier spells. Even then, their chances would be slim.

"Technically, these are Ice Arrow and Fireball Spell scrolls."

"...What?"

"These nine are Ice Arrows, and these three are Fireball Spells."

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