"Sorry, could you give me a little more time?"
When he heard Will call his name, Silverleaf looked nervous.
Actually, this was the best possible position for Silverleaf.
The underachievers had nearly all finished their interviews, while the top students hadn't started yet. Going at this point in the lineup meant Silverleaf would inevitably be the most impressive student in the interview.
And wouldn't Silverleaf's dazzling performance make the top students who came after him seem just as "mediocre" as the underachievers who had gone before?
Now that Silverleaf had realized that, he had no interest in continuing.
After all, he was a succubus!
Silverleaf knew full well that no matter how exceptional he was, as someone with "succubus blood," he was nothing more than merchandise in the eyes of "humans."
Only by blending into human society and becoming one of the group could he earn respect when his group was respected.
Right now, the Magic Academy of the City of Academies was Silverleaf's "group," and he was its Chief Student.
Silverleaf would never allow others to look down on his classmates and treat them as pawns.
But he didn't have enough information, and had no idea what Will was planning.
In any case, why not disrupt his opponent's board and see what happens?
Silverleaf lowered his eyes, hiding his little scheme behind his long lashes. On his face, he showed only the nervous helplessness of a straight-A student faced with a real problem.
"I think I'd do better if I made some changes. Could you give me a little time?"
"But everyone has the same amount of time..." Will tried to refuse.
"Please, Mr. Angell."
Silverleaf bypassed Will and appealed directly to Angell.
From what Silverleaf had observed, this Black Robe seemed surprisingly easy to talk to.
Angell nodded, just as expected. "All right."
"But Silverleaf is already the most outstanding student in this year's class. That wouldn't be very fair to the others!" Will seemingly made an offhand remark to turn the others against Silverleaf, then continued calling the next name: "￥#*&￥#·*&%%#%#."
He announced a long, difficult-to-pronounce name that sounded very distinguished.
Silverleaf froze.
Then he saw Jack rise to his feet, his face expressionless.
Right, that was Jack's real name. He was a noble and had an extremely cumbersome full name. But it was so hard to pronounce, and the Black Goat the school had kept as an experiment had finally died, so everyone had started calling Jack by the name of the Black Goat, which had horns just like him.
But how could this be?
The troubling thing was that, judging by the rankings, Will had really planned this from the start!
After the Chief Student—himself—declined, Will immediately put the very worst student last. No matter how the others performed afterward, it would make it seem like the entire class was hopeless.
Silverleaf shut his eyes, regretting his decision.
He had absolutely no hope for Jack's interview.
That Jack had handed in blank papers for three whole years! He hadn't written a single word on any exam!
At the thought of the blank board that was about to appear, Silverleaf felt embarrassed on Jack's behalf.
He couldn't understand how Jack had managed to stay at school all this time without feeling ashamed.
But Angell's expected questioning when he saw the blank paper never came. Instead, half a minute later, the room filled with gasps, as though everyone had seen something unbelievable.
"Did you make this?" Silverleaf heard Angell ask.
"...Yes," Jack answered sluggishly.
Make it?
What had Jack made?
Silverleaf couldn't help opening his eyes, then sucked in a sharp breath.
A miracle!
Jack hadn't handed in a blank paper!
But this thing was even worse than a blank paper, wasn't it?!
Silverleaf stared in shock at the Game Table.
What sat on it wasn't a Magic Wolf or any other animal. It couldn't even be called a physical object. It was just a mass of blackness—but not quite pure black, either. It was black tinged with green, red, yellow, blue, and purple. It was impossible to describe. The longer you stared, the dizzier you got, until you wanted to stop thinking altogether.
How could anyone write runes into this kind of shape?!
Angell found it unbelievable too. "This child seems like he could be trained as a Special Effects Artist."
"Huh?" Will stared at Angell in disbelief. "You'd even take someone like this?"
"What do you mean, 'someone like this'?" Angell frowned.
He took Jack's hand and raised it. "This is the kind of talent I want!"
"Ah..." Will and Owen both wore hard-to-describe expressions.
"Master, I think everyone wants to know what your hiring criteria are," Mithril said, stepping forward as their representative. In truth, though, he was indulging his own curiosity, because he couldn't understand why Angell wanted to hire something like this. "Didn't you say that only children who copied the runes correctly would be accepted?"
"Oh, there's an exception."
Angell glanced at the whiteboard covered in runes. "Actually, I added Appraise Magic to the runes in the first section. The illusions formed by each person's runes differ in subtle ways, revealing some of their individual traits. I'm also looking for people whose traits are particularly interesting."
...What were "interesting magical traits," anyway? Was he collecting toys?
Everyone's expressions grew even harder to read.
But after Angell explained, the tense atmosphere finally eased a little. The boys were somewhat optimistic. They didn't think their runes were boring, and even if they'd failed in other ways, perhaps there was something about them that would catch Angell's eye.
After all, even Jack had been accepted!
The Horned Boy, however, stared blankly at Angell holding his hand.
Only now did he seem to understand what Angell had said. He asked slowly, "...You'll give me food?"
"You can eat your fill," Angell said.
Jack seemed to freeze in place. Three minutes later, he finally gave Angell an almost imperceptible smile.
But Jack's expressions were always so delayed that almost no one noticed.
The interviews continued in an orderly fashion.
The students after Jack were the top students whom Branch President Hume had rated A-level. But, just as Silverleaf had feared, the impact of Jack's indescribable creation made their work seem little different from that of the students who had come before him.
After all, even if you studied the Rune Major diligently, you could only perfectly complete the third section of the runes.
Writing your own "poem" in the fourth section required experience, so the students who came afterward were better than those who had come before. Their Magic Wolves didn't stumble or fail to perform the required actions, but there was nothing special about them, either.
In short, they weren't impressive.
At last, it was Silverleaf's turn. He'd saved himself for last.
And, as expected, he was the best.
When his Rune Board was inserted into the Game Table, the illusion that appeared was no longer a round, foolish wolf. It was a mighty giant wolf with fur like silver needles.
It threw back its head and howled as it appeared, making the spectators around it instinctively want to retreat.
"Why is it a complete wolf?" someone asked in alarm.
"Because there are three mistakes in the fifth section of the runes," Silverleaf replied calmly and confidently, as though a teacher had called on him in class. "Correct those three places, and the illusion's size and shape will adjust to what you see now."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Angell.
But Angell didn't give him the approving look Silverleaf's teacher would have. He only nodded. "Continue."
"All right." Silverleaf placed his hands on the Keyboard.
Of course, Silverleaf didn't run into the same mana shortage as Enlise, either.
"Forward."
The White Wolf advanced majestically.
"Back."
The White Wolf retreated cautiously.
"Jump."
The White Wolf lunged forward ferociously.
"Dodge."
The White Wolf rolled nimbly and sprang aside.
"Ultimate Skill."
The White Wolf let out an angry roar. White light blazed around it, and as it opened its mouth, blinding radiance swallowed everything.
When the light faded, the boys couldn't help applauding.
"That was incredible!"
"As expected of the Chief Student!"
"It's hard to believe we copied the same section of runes."
The difference in skill made all the students forget that Silverleaf had deliberately asked for more time. They all knew that even if they'd had more time, they couldn't have reached his level. They could only acknowledge his skill.
Silverleaf was used to getting compliments from his classmates. He looked at his future employer again.
Angell still had a deadpan expression. "That's about enough."
Tsk. Why was his reaction to this not even as impressed as he'd been by Jack's indescribable creation?
Silverleaf felt a little dissatisfied.
But he didn't let it show. He only gave Angell a perfect smile and nod, then turned to rejoin his classmates.
He heard Angell say to Mithril, "Mark this one down. His base salary will be three gold coins a month."
Silverleaf froze.
"Could you explain?" Mithril asked.
"The test results." Angell turned back to the whiteboard. "There are five sections of runes. Anyone who can correctly interpret the task and complete four sections or more will join the Development Team. Their base salary starts at three gold coins, with bonuses and other benefits on top. Those who can complete three sections will also join the Development Team, though their starting salary will remain at one gold coin. We'll consider raises based on their performance over the next three months. Those who complete two sections will be regular team members, and can join the Development Team later if they perform well. Those who complete only one section will have a three-month probationary period. There'll be no bonuses during that time, but if they can complete two sections before probation ends, they can become permanent employees... As for those who can't complete even one section, I'm very sorry, but we don't need employees who can't do the job."
Angell hadn't even finished speaking before the boys broke into excited chatter.
"So I've been hired?!"
"I did the third section, so does that mean I'm on the Development Team?"
"I only got through the second section... Damn it, I was so close."
"Was Silverleaf the only one who completed four sections or more?"
They discussed it excitedly, having completely forgotten that at first they hadn't wanted to join the Workshop at all. All they cared about was the joy of passing the test.
Angell finally let the corners of his mouth lift slightly.
"The City of Academies has a pretty good education system. Not a single person failed to complete even one section of the runes!"
No, there was one!
Right beside you!
Everyone looked at Jack, who stood by Angell.
But this wasn't the time for anyone to actually point that out. Angell's pay and benefits were relatively fair, and no one had any complaints. Even those who'd only qualified for probation were focused on figuring out how to become permanent employees.
Even Silverleaf wore a genuine smile.
He no longer cared that Angell had praised Jack while barely acknowledging him.
Compared to whatever a boss said, was there any praise in the world greater than a real salary?!
And if there was, it had to be a higher salary!
*
Angell hadn't just been making empty promises.
He was even more eager than the boys to get everyone hired.
So after the interviews ended that night, Angell signed contracts with all the students. There were three copies of each: one for the records, one for the employee, and the last for Will to take back and file with the Magic Association.
The graduates who'd been hired naturally didn't have to leave with Will. They happily followed the Receptionist Cat back to the dormitory.
Angell saw Will and Owen to the door.
By then, the Magic Gear was about to close. Customers were leaving the Workshop in ones and twos. Light Magic, a remnant of the Magic Era, gently enveloped the inside of the Workshop. Its light, no different from natural daylight, stood in sharp contrast to the dim yellow Gas Street Lamps outside.
Seeing this, Will wore a complicated expression. Whatever was on his mind, he suddenly sighed, "The light of magic really is brighter after all!"
"Only for now. One day, technology will catch up with magic," Angell replied.
Will looked at Angell in surprise. He hadn't expected Angell to speak up for technology.
"...Mr. Angell, do you think technology is better than magic?" Owen's gaze sharpened.
"The world isn't a light switch. It's not one or the other," Angell said.
It was true that technology had developed some very interesting Electronic Games, but magic could easily create Holographic Projection.
Angell wasn't stupid enough to choose one over the other.
A mature adult should say, "I want it all!"
But Owen and Will had no idea what Angell was thinking.
They looked at him in confusion. They didn't even know what a "light switch" was.
Looking at the streetlamps, Angell couldn't help sighing, either. "But if things keep developing this way, it won't matter how bright Magic Lamps are. No one will be able to afford them."
After all, a Magic Lamp was still "magic." It needed mana to be lit.
Compared with an Electric Lamp that could be turned on with the press of a button, even if you had no idea how it worked, it was far too much trouble.
Before long, when the Incandescent Lamp was invented, those nobles would throw away the last Magic Lamps in their mansions and replace them with Electric Lamps, right?
Compared with how accessible something was, its features came second.
That was how the magic of this world had gradually declined, step by step.
"Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing!" Will muttered in a voice Owen and Angell couldn't hear.
*
After leaving the Magic Gear, Will went back to his lodgings alone.
Although he still had the work contracts that the students had signed with the Magic Gear, there was no rush to file them.
After all, the Magic Association was a public institution, and its employees were basically civil servants. Even as an assistant (secretary), he sometimes had to work overtime for his superiors, but his job wasn't as hectic as that of a Corporate Slave.
Now that he'd completed Branch President Hume's assignment, Will could go home, take a hot bath, get a good night's sleep, rest for two or three days, and only then go report back to the Association.
The reason Will had pushed Angell to finish the interviews that day was that someone else was in a hurry.
Will opened the door to his lodgings. The room was pitch-black.
Will felt his way toward the light switch.
He didn't know when the era Angell had described—when technology would surpass magic—would arrive. For now, magic was actually more convenient than technology, but Will couldn't afford it.
Will had once calculated that a household's energy needs—things like running water, lighting, washing, and cooking—would cost only about five silver if paid for with gas and water bills, an amount an ordinary working family could afford. But if they used mana instead, even without counting the cost of magic items, they would need at least as much mana as a Novice Mage to meet those needs.
And even graduates of the City of Academies were the cream of the crop, yet they were still only Magic Apprentices.
As a Magic Apprentice who had graduated from the Magic Academy of the City of Academies, Will naturally couldn't sustain the expense of an extravagant magical lifestyle. So he dutifully rented a Terraced House with gas and steam pipes.
Rent for the house was twenty-six silver a week. It had five bedrooms and three sitting rooms, and a cleaner came by regularly to tidy up and prepare dinner. It was quite respectable.
But he could only afford a house like this because he'd joined the Magic Association. If he'd gone to the Mage Tower...
Will's movements paused.
He didn't turn on the light, because he'd noticed another person breathing in the darkness. Looking closely, he could make out a Black Shadow sitting on the sofa beside the coffee table in his living room, apparently watching him.
An ordinary person might not panic at a sight like this, but they would certainly be startled.
Will, however, seemed used to it.
He paused, then turned toward the Black Shadow with his usual warm, friendly smile.
"...You're here?"
The Black Shadow asked in a gloomy voice, "You're back from the City of Academies?"
Will nodded. "Yes. Just as you predicted, the new owner of Magic Gear took over the Workshop and then went to the Magic Association."
That was right. Angell's actions had been "expected" by certain people.
Assistant Will wasn't dealing with Magic Gear for the first time, either.
In theory, the Magic Association was supposed to protect magic goods and magic factories within its jurisdiction to some extent. But many people inside the Association had been persuaded by outsiders to define magic shop closures as "purely commercial activity," and the protections had gradually been phased out.
As the largest Alchemy Workshop in the Magic Capital, Magic Gear had naturally attracted plenty of covetous attention.
Someone had spent more than a decade working to strip it of the Magic Association's protection, though the Workshop Master's own failings had played a part, too. By now, even people like Mayor Owen and Branch President Hume had given up paying attention to the Alchemy Workshop. They hadn't even cared when it closed.
So they'd nearly succeeded. This year, Magic Gear had almost fallen into someone else's hands.
No one had expected Angell to drop from the sky.
The "masterminds" had worked at this for over a decade. They weren't about to give up so easily, and were already stirring, preparing a new takeover scheme.
But no one thought Angell could bring Magic Gear back from the dead. His status as an "Intermediate Mage," on the other hand, was a serious obstacle. The Magic Association couldn't ignore even the employment of Magic Apprentices, let alone a genuine Mage like Angell. If he revealed his status and asked the Magic Association and the Mage Tower for help, the magical community would have to step in, given Magic Gear's history.
That was why Will had been approached by the person in front of him.
The other man had told him to "play it by ear" when Angell came calling.
But Angell's actions had deviated somewhat from everyone's expectations.
"That Black Robe didn't ask the Magic Association for help. Instead, he asked to hire Rune Apprentices. Branch President Hume was already worried about the graduates, so he urgently ordered me to go to the City of Academies. I had to leave a message in a hurry." Will reported what had happened, trying to read the other man's reaction in the pitch-black room. "But I never got any instructions from you."
"Gah-ha! What instructions would you need?" The Black Shadow let out a harsh, crowlike laugh. "That Black Robe's pretty clever. He knew there was no point asking for help, so he used students as a pretext to get a subsidy? And he could earn the old man's goodwill, too."
Just as students in the Magic Major received tuition subsidies, the Mage Towers did, too, for taking them in. So some Mage Towers short on funds would agree to the Magic Association's requests and accept Magic Apprentices. Silverleaf had been assigned to such a place in the first place.
"But an Alchemy Workshop isn't a Mage Tower. Whether it qualifies for a subsidy is a gray area. Even if Hume wants to favor him, getting the money won't be easy!" the Black Shadow sneered.
...I don't think he's trying to scam a subsidy.
The pay he'd offered the students was far too generous for that. It was already more than the subsidy would cover.
Will frowned.
He hesitated, then asked, "Are you sure there won't be a problem? Magic Gear seems to be doing quite well."
"Making a loss just to draw attention," the Black Shadow said dismissively.
He had apparently visited Magic Gear himself.
"Almost everyone playing during the current trial period is practically getting a free ride. But how many can actually afford to buy one? And of those, how many would be willing to pay? Probably only the Little Crown Princess of the Roy Family would be foolish enough to waste her money on it!"
Will had thought the same thing.
The Game Table was interesting, sure, but it had to be expensive to run!
Forget the Rune Apprentices' wages tonight. An Alchemy Workshop that size had to spend a fortune on lighting alone—in mana, at that. Then there were the magic-powered Leaderboard Projection Screens inside the Workshop, not to mention the Game Tables themselves. The mana they consumed each day couldn't be a small amount. Surely a few drinks couldn't cover the cost? Even if that Black Robe was an Intermediate Mage, there was no way he could supply that much mana by himself!
Even Branch President Hume wasn't optimistic about the Workshop's future.
But after last night's "interview," Will had developed a bad feeling. He suspected Magic Gear might not go bankrupt as smoothly as they'd hoped.
"What if—what if the Game Tables become a huge hit?" Will couldn't help asking. "After all, besides the Young Lady of the Roy Family, I saw the Eldest Young Master of the Friedrich Family there, too." His name was at the top of the Leaderboard.
"That good-for-nothing?" The Black Shadow sneered, but didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Why are you in more of a hurry than we are to see Magic Gear go under?"
"...I just think things that are destined to die out should do so sooner rather than later," Will said.
"Gah-hahahahaha! Things destined to die out? Hahaha!"
The Black Shadow laughed in a hoarse, unpleasant voice, as if he'd heard something hilarious.
But Will meant it.
Will believed magic deserved to perish.
He didn't hate magic. If anything, magic was the reason he'd become a respectable man.
If he hadn't had magical talent, hadn't entered the City of Academies, and hadn't caught Branch President Hume's eye, he certainly wouldn't have his current stable job or such a respectable life.
But that was exactly why he'd realized how cruel a world built on magic alone could be.
Magical talent determined everything!
Archmages stood high above everyone else, and full Mages had the privileges of nobles. Ordinary people without talent could only struggle to survive.
Even though the times had changed, the Magic Association still spent huge sums trying to save magic's reputation. It trained Mages who were useless for anything, without ever asking whether mana's high cost justified such waste.
Industry, by contrast, had made the cost of living far cheaper and changed the way people lived.
So even though Will felt ungrateful, he still hoped magic would simply die out.
And what was the point of reviving something like Magic Gear, which existed only to make toys?!
Why couldn't a dignified Intermediate Black Robe do something more useful?!
He could clearly tell a Pearl from a common stone, yet in the end he'd tossed them all into the same basket and made them do useless work.
That was what Will thought.
The Black Shadow clearly didn't take his words seriously, and had no intention of telling him anything useful.
"You're right. Magic Gear is destined to die out. You don't need to worry about it making a comeback!" He seemed to think the conversation was about over. "Anyway, just keep an eye on Hume. If he plans to do anything unnecessary, find a way to stop him and let us know. For now, there's no need to get your hands dirty."
For now...?
Will urged, "Wait! I haven't finished!"
"?"
"On the train back, I ran into Mayor Owen, who was returning from the Royal Capital. He was furious about this at first, but after visiting Magic Gear, he seemed to calm down." Will spoke quickly.
"Owen...?" The Black Shadow looked surprised for a moment, but then waved a hand dismissively. "Even if he doesn't oppose it, it won't make a difference."
"But..." Will still felt uneasy.
Seeing his expression, the Black Shadow finally let him in on a bit of inconsequential information. "As long as the dignified mayor hasn't gone mad enough to endorse Magic Gear, people who can afford the Game Table won't buy it, even if they're interested! After all, more than an amusing toy, everyone wants the profession and equity behind that amusing toy!"
"You mean..."
"That toy's trial period is about to end and sales are about to begin, right?" The Black Shadow cackled. "The number he sells on the first day will probably be his total sales."
...Piracy?
Or a ban?
Or both?
Will frowned. He hated such dirty business tactics.
But the Black Shadow had no intention of asking Will's opinion. He stood up, opened the door, and walked out obediently.
That was what a villain without magic looked like when he made his exit: completely lacking in style.
*
In the end, Will couldn't put his mind at ease.
He thought anyone who'd met Angell would feel the same way.
Perhaps all Black Robes were like that. Even when they were making a toy, they always gave people the sense that something ominous was involved.
Though Will had no idea what could be ominous about the Game Table.
So the next morning, Will didn't get a proper rest. Instead, he organized the contracts the students had signed with Magic Gear the day before and went to report to the Magic Association.
He walked.
The Terraced House Will rented was about a fifteen-minute steam carriage ride from the Magic Association. It took thirty minutes on foot, but Will preferred walking to riding in a noisy steam carriage.
Especially because halfway there, he could duck into the alley across the street and buy some piping-hot, freshly baked bread.
Thinking this, Will looked across the road.
Just then, several newspaper boys ran down the street, calling out as they went:
"Extra! Extra! The Eastern Border Daily! Magic Gear's new invention! Mayor Owen's enthusiastic endorsement!"
...A new invention?
Will yawned and thought about it disinterestedly through his foggy mind.
New inventions were usually just advertisements. Cecilia was all right, at least. He'd heard that the City of Industry, Sensenata, could come up with hundreds of new inventions in a single day...
Wait. Where had they just said the new invention was from?!
Will's yawn stopped halfway. He suddenly snapped awake.
He stood frozen with his mouth hanging open, as if his jaw had come unhinged. After a long moment, he hurried toward the newspaper boys.
"Where did you say the new invention was from?" Will asked.
"Magic Gear! It's the biggest Alchemy Workshop in our Magic Capital, the one on the Road of Heroes!"
"That's right! The new Game Table there is loads of fun!" another newspaper boy said, taking the opportunity to shove the paper he was holding into Will's hands. "Buy a copy and take a look, sir. Everyone who hasn't played it is behind the times!"
"Yeah! Especially since these are the last few days of the trial period! It might not be so cheap afterward!"
"And even if you don't play, it's fun just to watch!"
"They have Carbonated Water, too!"
The other newspaper boys chimed in as well. They were obviously Magic Gear customers, and got so excited talking about the Game Table and the Workshop that they seemed less interested in selling newspapers than in simply promoting Magic Gear.
Surrounded by the children, Will couldn't get away, so he had no choice but to buy a newspaper.
Though he'd been planning to buy one anyway.
Where had "Mayor Owen's enthusiastic endorsement" come from?!
Will remembered that when he'd parted ways with Mayor Owen last night, the man had given no indication that he'd endorse anything.
Irritated, Will flipped through the newspaper.
He quickly found what he was looking for.
The entire third page of the Eastern Border Daily was devoted to an extensive Magic Gear advertisement. The most eye-catching part, naturally, was the photograph at the top of the page.
The photo featured an adorable Golden Shaded Cat. In the background, two figures had been circled heavily in black ink. One was obviously the rather portly Mayor Owen, but the tall, thin young man beside him made Will's vision go dark!
Wasn't that him?!
Then Will saw several blurry boys in City of Academies uniforms in the background and quickly realized that someone had taken the photo while he was bringing the students to their interview the day before.
But the caption read, "Mayor Owen and Assistant Will inspect Magic Gear."
Damn it, what kind of nonsense was this?!
The mayor had indeed brought an assistant, but it wasn't the mayor's assistant. It was the president of the Magic Association's assistant! Had they ever seen someone bring an assistant from another department on an inspection?
The Eastern Border Daily was supposed to be a respectable newspaper. How could they make things up based on a picture?!
Will nearly tore the newspaper apart.
But ripping it up wouldn't solve anything. Will finally calmed down, clutched the paper, and hurried toward the Magic Association. He decided to find Branch President Hume and have him condemn the Eastern Border Daily, forcing them to apologize for this fake news!
Will was in such a hurry that when he entered the Magic Association, he didn't even notice the familiar carriage parked outside.
That carriage had taken him and the students part of the way the day before.
Will hurried to Branch President Hume's office and knocked hastily. Before the other man could answer, he pushed the door open and walked in. "Master Dunlop, I have something I need to report to you... Mayor, Mayor Owen?!"
Will stared in surprise at the fat man sitting on the sofa in the president's office. He hadn't expected to find him there so early.
Branch President Hume sat on the other sofa, piling marshmallows into the coffee cup in front of him.
When he saw Will come in, he smiled amiably. "Is this about those graduates? Owen told me they've all been hired by Magic Gear. You worked hard this time, but there's no need to rush. You've been away on business for so long. Take today off and report to me tomorrow instead."
"Ah, no..." Will was taken aback. It took him a while to find his bearings. "I didn't mean Magic Gear... No, it is about Magic Gear!"
Will didn't understand why Mayor Owen was there so early, but this was a good thing!
The mayor certainly wouldn't be happy to see such fake news, either!
Will rallied and set the newspaper on the coffee table between the sofas.
"When I left home this morning, I saw that the Eastern Border Daily had published a story like this—"
"Hahaha, they published it already? That was quick." Mayor Owen burst out laughing.
Will stared at Owen in disbelief. Owen looked pleased with himself as he explained, "There happened to be a reporter in the Workshop yesterday. When he took a picture of the cat, he caught us in the background and asked if he could run it as a little extra. I thought it was ridiculous to be an accessory to the cat, so I told him to blow it up and turn it into a full-page feature."
Why were you competing with a cat?
No, was that really why you'd devoted an entire page to advertising Magic Gear?
Will didn't know what to say.
He even began to wonder if Angell had secretly hit Owen with black magic after the mayor went home last night.
But Owen seemed perfectly clear-headed.
He said to Branch President Hume, "With this article out, once their Game Tables go on sale, we can have the Eastern Border Daily follow up with interviews of this batch of Magic graduates! We can show people that the Rune Apprentices we train are actually in demand! That should put an end to people saying we spend money just to keep employment rates up, when the truth is that the Mages we train are useless!"
Hume was surprised to hear that.
He'd been the one to agree to Angell's request, but he didn't know what the Alchemy Workshop's new product was. He'd only planned to let the students get some practice at Magic Gear and then send them on to the Mage Towers.
Hume asked curiously, "You seem quite pleased with that magic item. I heard it was just a toy?"
"It's more than just a toy." Owen shook his head.
The game was more than just a toy. Even making it had been more than just a game.
Owen still remembered the way the Rune Apprentices' eyes had lit up as they looked at the Runes they'd made themselves last night.
How many years had it been since he'd seen people so interested in magic?
When Owen left Magic Gear the night before, he'd only felt a little moved. But as he thought about it on the way home, his excitement had grown. He became more and more convinced that Angell hadn't made such a "toy" by accident. Nothing a Black Robe did could be that simple. As soon as he got home, the newspaper office called to confirm the photo. Owen readily agreed to let them publish it.
It was hard to explain all that with words, so Owen said, "Go see that Game Table, and you'll understand what I mean."
"Hmm. So you're willing to go, then?" Hume asked.
He took out several Invitation Letters.
They were black, and at first glance looked like invitations to an unlucky funeral. But intricate arrangements of gears, drawn in golden magic ink, adorned the covers, and they kept spinning without stopping. They gave the letters a delicate, luxurious look.
"These are Invitation Letters from Magic Gear. They're planning to end the trial period and officially open in two days, so they sent us a pile of these," Hume said.
He actually felt that Angell's invitation wasn't very sincere. Angell had handed it to a postman to send by ordinary mail—judging by the lack of a stamp, it had been smuggled using magic—and had simply tossed it into the Association's public lobby, as if it didn't matter whether he managed to invite the president of the Magic Association or not.
(Angell: He's not my target customer anyway. I was just being polite at Mithril's request.)
Hume hadn't really wanted to go either, but seeing Owen's reaction, he became a little interested.
Hume handed one of the invitations to Mayor Owen. "He also invited 'the guest who visited the Workshop yesterday.' Do you want to take a look?"
"Go? Of course I'm going!"
Mayor Owen answered as if it were only natural.