James

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	James Mortimer 396
Gender	Male 391
Affiliation	Ailande Police Department; later works under temporary Imperial assignments 391 522
Occupation/Role	Plainclothes detective, trainee inspector, later Inspector; former soldier and knight 391 396 439 454
First Appearance	Investigator (Chapter 391) 391

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Magic Apprentice	391, 454	Studied at the Empire Magic Academy for three years but failed to become a formal mage; accounts describe him as a beginner or intermediate apprentice. His magical aptitude was poor. 391 454
Knight	454	After joining the army, he discovered a comparatively strong talent for qi cultivation and chose the knight’s path. 454
Peak Formal Knight	551	His knightly strength reaches the peak of the formal rank, giving him substantial stamina and combat ability. 551
Restored magical potential	486	A healing potion restores his fading magic talent. He believes that suppressing his knight cultivation for a year could let him become a formal mage, though this advancement is not yet confirmed. 486

Background / History

James was born into a fallen noble family and was identified as having caster potential as a child. His family sent him to the Empire Magic Academy, but after three years he could not advance into the formal mage ranks. They exhausted their wealth securing him a Clergy position instead. 391

He later joined the military, where he discovered his aptitude for qi cultivation. He chose to become a knight and obtained the upper portion of an Eastern magic-swordsman manual on the battlefield. 454 After leaving the army, he entered the Ailande Police Department as a plainclothes detective. At twenty-seven, he had reached the ordinary career ceiling for a detective, since Inspector-level officers were expected to be Transcendents. 391

During the Imperial Capital incident involving the Silver-Winged Magician and the Alchemist Association, James was still a trainee inspector. His persistence and actions during the crisis later earned him promotion to senior police officer, and he is subsequently addressed as an Inspector. 396 420 439

Appearance

James is a tall man with a long, narrow face likened to a horse’s. Though considered somewhat handsome, his premature baldness greatly diminishes the impression. 391

• Twenty-seven years old when introduced as a detective. 391
• Has an early receding hairline/baldness. 391
• Uses disguises when necessary, including military-attache and sailor identities during covert operations. 443 445

Personality

James is persistent, observant, and strongly motivated by his sense of police duty. He is willing to endure uncomfortable stakeouts, challenge guards and superiors, and pursue cases even when other organizations attempt to exclude the Police Department. 395 407

He combines professional caution with opportunism. He quickly recognizes Edward as a useful route into the Alchemist Association, maps the building while undercover, and remains alert to the possibility that his own superiors or allies may be deceiving him. 396 397 445

Earlier descriptions portray him as carefree and womanizing, but his relationship with Jacqueline makes him consider settling down. He is protective of his subordinates, particularly when they face danger beyond their understanding. 394 454 486

Abilities & Skills

Magic-Swordsman Training

James possesses talent in both magic and qi cultivation, though his magical aptitude is much weaker than his aptitude as a knight. 454

• Retains enough magical education to operate magic items, spatial rings, and alchemical devices. 444 551
• Uses qi to reinforce his body in close combat. 446
• His dual cultivation gives him logistical advantages, including access to spatial equipment despite being primarily a knight. 551
• He has not yet confirmed advancement to formal mage; becoming a true same-rank magic swordsman remains a future goal. 486

Forbidden Technique

James possesses a combat technique from a fragmented Eastern magic-swordsman manual. It forces magic power from his Sea of Consciousness into his qi circulation circuit, temporarily raising his physical capability beyond his normal level. 454

• Used against a powerful toad-bird monster to protect his comrades. 454
• Successfully injures the monster before being thrown away by its counterattack. 454
• Requires substantial reserves of both magic power and qi. 454
• Normally leaves him bedridden for several weeks after use. 454
• A mysterious healing potion later prevents the expected period of weakness and restores his magical potential. 486

Spellcasting

Despite his poor magical talent, James can employ practical spells in combat. 414 454

• Blocks an Imperial Guard steam-crossbow barrage with a protective spell. 414
• Uses Fossil into Mud to turn floors around the Alchemist Association into mud, incapacitating pursuing guards. 414

Investigation and Intelligence Work

James is an experienced police investigator with strong situational awareness and familiarity with the Imperial Capital’s political figures. 397

• Conducts long-term surveillance of the Alchemist Association. 395 407
• Studies the Association’s internal layout while posing as Edward’s attendant. 397
• Assigns Tom and Jerry separate tasks to gather forces and recover evidence. 395
• Recognizes suspicious patterns in missions and tests potentially dangerous alchemy bombs away from civilians. 445

Close-Quarters Combat

James is capable of subduing weaker trained opponents without relying on weapons. 446

• Restrains a poison-nailed female operative whose strength is at trainee-knight level. 446
• Reinforces his foot with qi to endure a forceful heel strike. 446

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Steam crossbows and non-lethal demon-breaking bolts — prepared for an anticipated confrontation with the Silver-Winged Magician. 401 406
• Alchemy bombs and remote-control array plate — six color-coded bombs supplied by Ethan; each can be detonated by feeding magic power into its matching crystal. 443 444
• 200-cubic-meter Spatial Ring — given by Edward for transporting materials between Manhattan Island and White Eagle City. 551
• Flying backpack — provided by Edward to speed up his transport work. 551
• Combat suit — an Edward-made suit with insulation, breathing circulation, and hidden operational controls. 601

Relationships

• Edward Smith — ally and benefactor. Edward lets James enter the Alchemist Association as his attendant, later employs him as a capable assistant and invites him on an adventure with Blackbeard. 396 400 551 587
• Jacqueline — girlfriend and housemate; a trainee knight who is temporarily conscripted alongside him. 486 522
• Tom — subordinate and trusted teammate who worries for James when he uses his forbidden technique. 395 454
• Jerry — subordinate and teammate; participates in the cruise-ship operation and bomb test. 395 445
• Officer/Commander Hardy — James’s former superior, later an Imperial Guard commander. Hardy warns James against interfering with the Alchemist Association while continuing to share information with him. 395 407 414
• Ethan Harris — old battlefield comrade who recruits James for the cruise-ship sabotage mission. 439 443
• Duchess Sophia Tilo — assigns James a secret task in White Eagle City; he later reports work to her at the city’s magic tower. 550 551

Story Role / Major Arcs

Alchemist Association Investigation

James attempts to investigate the Silver-Winged Magician’s warning and the Alchemist Association’s concealed affairs. Barred by Royal Guards, he refuses to abandon the case, organizes his subordinates, and stakes out the building. 395 401 407

He approaches Edward in a coffee shop and requests to pose as his attendant. Edward agrees immediately, giving James temporary access to the Association and an opportunity to survey its structure firsthand. 396 397 400

During the Imperial Guard assault on the Association, James appears in white robes atop the clock tower. He blocks the guards’ attack and uses Fossil into Mud to halt their advance. 414 The aftermath results in a nationwide manhunt for the Silver-Winged Magician, while James receives a promotion. 420

Cruise-Ship Operation

Ethan assigns James a covert mission to plant remote-controlled alchemy bombs on a cruise ship. James distrusts the operation’s stated purpose and suspects that he, too, may be intended to die in the blast. 443 445

Rather than blindly carry out the order, he covertly tests one bomb underwater and seeks storytelling advice from writer Alexander to think through the motives behind the mission. 445 He also confronts and subdues a suspicious woman aboard the ship. 446

After the operation, James, Jacqueline, Tom, and Jerry receive medals at Whitehall. 487

White Eagle City Support

James is sent to White Eagle City on a confidential assignment and becomes an important logistical assistant for Edward’s mobile-city project. 550 His spatial ring, formal-knight stamina, magical fundamentals, and ability to inspect magic-array designs make him useful for transporting materials and supporting Edward’s work. 551

Later Expeditions

James accompanies Edward’s group on later expeditions and is invited to join the operation connected to Blackbeard’s lair. 587 During the conflict involving the Nautilus, pirates, and the Dawn Organization, he takes command of the submarine and plans to exploit the conflict between the opposing forces. 616 He later serves as an adjutant, briefing Edward on events aboard the Nautilus. 618