Yveta tossed the fat woman eight pennies. "Is that enough?"
"More than enough," the fat woman said quickly, sneaking a glance at the fierce Demon Hunter, Black Wolf. "You can take this bounty notice to the employer."
The fat woman took the notice, then pressed the guild ring on her right thumb against the vermilion lacquer and stamped it onto the paper.
"Once it bears the guild's seal, you can prove your identity to the employer."
Yveta took back the bounty notice and led the others away.
They continued by carriage. In town, they spent four shillings on enough black bread to feed six people for six or seven days, three shillings and sixpence on some drinks, and two shillings to repair the carriage roof. With what remained, they bought some low-quality fodder for their ox.
During that time, the Old Witch also rummaged through her magical Personal Carriage and found three Spare Right Arms. After carefully inspecting them, she chose one and attached it to her shoulder.
Finally, they bought the Old Witch a cotton coat worth three shillings and, after much coaxing, persuaded her to wear it.
That way, she wouldn't attract too much trouble.
After all that, Yveta's little treasury was down to thirty-two pounds and two shillings.
It might not seem like a small sum.
But most of it had come from Leili's sponsorship and the money he'd previously swindled out of people with the Charm Technique.
In reality, Yveta knew perfectly well that there wasn't nearly enough to keep his current party going for more than a few days.
First of all, the Old Witch's daily magic research cost a fortune. She practically went through resources at the rate of one manor after another.
Black Wolf's two-handed greatsword and off-hand weapon hadn't been maintained at all, and Yveta still owed him a pile of money.
Leili's weapon hadn't been maintained either.
Aside from the maid Alicia and her child, who were exceptionally frugal, everyone else was tightening their belts to follow him.
But he couldn't keep things this way forever.
That was also why Yveta didn't dare bring up the Loyalty Ceremony with Black Wolf. If Black Wolf really became his vassal...
Well, he really couldn't afford to support him.
Was he really going to live up to his reputation as the King of Borrowing and go around borrowing money to support his retainers?
After they left Kali Town through the eastern gate, Alicia drove the carriage and respectfully said to Yveta, "My lord, the Moro Baron Territory is a little over twenty kilometers from where we are now. From what I've heard, it should take about half a day to reach it if we follow this main road."
"I also heard all sorts of interesting things from the townsfolk. They said that Kali Town was built more than sixty years ago by order of the Baron of the Moro Baron Territory."
"At first, because Kali Town was on an important route, it collected a lot of transit taxes and brought the Baron a handsome profit."
"Later, the Grand Viscount of Ambrose at the time, Greedy Arthur, coveted Kali Town and made it a town directly under the Viscount Independent State."
"The Baron of the Moro Baron Territory at the time, Poor Bulvan, objected. He wanted to call a town-wide assembly and rally the townsfolk against the Grand Viscount. But who could have guessed that the Grand Viscount had already spoken with the town head and the heads of the town's guilds?"
"The Grand Viscount, Greedy Arthur, promised them self-governance, Judicial Power, and the right to independently recruit a militia."
"And so, Kali Town became independent."
Leili sighed. "I never knew there was such an interesting story behind it."
Yveta nodded. It seemed he'd been right to take in this maid.
She really was a talent.
In just half a day, she'd gotten on friendly terms with the townsfolk and learned all that.
She'd simply been born into a humble station and lacked someone willing to give her the opportunity to do something greater.
The mountain road was rough and hard on the horses' hooves.
So they traveled slowly.
The others ate something.
Yveta happened to be in the carriage, studying his magical items. Apart from the iron sword necklace from the Weimar Scholar Republic, the other three magical items each came with an Apprentice Level spell.
He memorized the spells on the three accessories.
Then he asked the Hearthstone Great Witch to teach him the incantation and casting techniques for Spirit Mirror Divination.
The Hearthstone Great Witch was surprised that Yveta hadn't asked her to teach him another kind of magic, such as an offensive spell for killing people.
In the carriage, Yveta explained, "You said it yourself before."
"Magic often takes a long time to learn."
"Now that I have magical items, I can use offensive magic directly, so I should learn Divination first."
"After all, every wizard has to learn Divination."
The Hearthstone Great Witch said, "I see. But, Your Grace, there are three conditions for advancing to Formal Wizard."
"First, you must learn more than three spells and choose one to develop as your Lifelong Magic. That means you need to learn at least four spells."
"The more powerful your magic is, the more it will benefit you both when you advance and afterward."
"Second, you must find a source of magic power. The amount of magic power an individual can draw on is limited. Even if a Wizard Apprentice is experienced and well-read, the greatest difference between one and a Formal Witch is still the total amount of magic power they possess."
"Third, you must cultivate Divination until your soul produces Gnostic Mist. Generally speaking, the more complete and powerful the Gnostic Mist structure is, the lower the risk of advancing."
Yveta frowned. "I see. It looks like I'll have to set aside some time to study spells properly. But we're in danger right now, so I'll have to take a shortcut for the time being."
"But is there a great risk in advancing to Formal Wizard?"
"About ten times the risk of becoming a Wizard Apprentice," the Old Witch said. "I once had a very gifted disciple. It took her only ten years to become ready to advance to Formal Wizard."
"But in the end, she became a monster with a lion's head, a snake's tail, and a goat's body."
"Although she failed to advance, she didn't mutate until after becoming a Formal Witch. As a result, she's still rampaging around that area to this day."
"The people there call the monster she turned into a Chimera. I don't know if she's regained her sanity by now, but it would actually be better if she hadn't. If she has..."
"Every kind of magic comes with risks and a price. Your Grace, magic isn't a toy for you to play with as you please."
Yveta sucked in a breath.
He hadn't realized it was so dangerous.
The Old Witch nodded. "That's why some people hate magic so much. It's not without reason. Whenever there's a magical accident, the people nearby are the ones who pay the price. But what does that have to do with me? Those who fall along the path of magic are nothing but failures."
Black Wolf couldn't help asking, "But if you were that disciple's teacher, why didn't you get rid of her?"
"You're a Great Witch, after all."
The Hearthstone Great Witch yelped as though someone had stepped on her tail. "Of course I ran away in the middle of the night!"
"That was a monster created by a Formal Witch!"
"It wasn't worth risking my life over. There was nothing in it for me."
Black Wolf gave the Old Witch a scornful look. "So, in the end, you're just a coward. From what I know, some witches do have a sense of responsibility. They clean up their own messes."
The Hearthstone Great Witch pretended not to hear him and began telling Yveta the incantation for Spirit Mirror Divination.
She repeatedly stressed that her Beloved Disciple was more skilled at this Divination Technique and that he should arrange for her Beloved Disciple to receive Yveta as soon as possible.
Yveta learned that the first thing needed to use Spirit Mirror Divination was a mirror worth more than a hundred pounds...
Yveta said in disbelief, "A hundred pounds! What kind of mirror could cost that much?"
"Is it made of gold?"
The Hearthstone Great Witch didn't even blush. "Well, that's only what you need at Apprentice Level. A mirror worth less than that can't be enchanted with Black Magic to trap a mirror spirit."
"That's just how the spell works!"
"This is already the cheapest option."
"If you want to study this Divination Technique more deeply, you'll need to buy an even more expensive mirror."
"You can always replace it later."
Yveta looked at Black Wolf. He finally understood why Black Wolf had tried to stop him from learning magic.
Damn, stepping into magic was like plunging into the deep. Money became a stranger!
From outside the carriage, Alicia called, "My lords, we've arrived at the Moro Baron Territory."
"Please get out."
Yveta pulled aside the carriage curtain and saw a small castle perched on a distant hillside, with some houses and a large manor surrounding it.
Before you continue