The Patient Wizard Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – The Magic Tower(4)

The individuals wearing yellow robes, David among them, came forward and called out the list.

“I will announce Group 1. Mark Grant, Alex Taylor……”

The successful candidates who had previously been divided into six groups according to their preferences were now scattered into various groups, forming 32 groups.

Group 1 had the most diverse composition, including everyone from a prince to a slave in the same group. Chris was included in Group 1 along with Prince Mark.

‘It seems they value diversity of backgrounds.’

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have placed royalty and slaves in the same group. To be honest, he wasn’t pleased about being assigned to Group 1. From his perspective, a prince was a person as high as the heavens. It couldn’t help but be uncomfortable. He was grateful that Smith and Alice, who were in the same situation, were in the same group. If he had been the only one of slave origin in Group 1, it would have been truly uncomfortable.

When the group formation was complete, David took Group 1 and moved. Chris clenched his fists in excitement, thinking they were going to climb the white staircase three stories high and enter the tower. That wasn’t the case. They came down and went around the mountainside to move to another location.

It was nice to have someone familiar guiding them. Smith, feeling glad, went over to him and spoke, but David consistently ignored him. Smith’s face turned red with embarrassment. It seemed like the nobleman was mocking him.

Group 1 was assigned to a two-story building called Lion Hall. The first floor had a reception room, recreation room, and kitchen, while the second floor had bedrooms and bathrooms.

David said,

“I am the manager of Lion Hall. If you have any difficulties, tell me.”

Though he said this, his expression was as hard as stone, giving the strong impression that even if difficult situations arose, don’t be a bother and solve them among yourselves.

“Distribute the rooms through your own discussion.”

Prince Mark said, 

“Yes. We will do that.”

Alex, a descendant of the Marquis Taylor family, chimed in, “Autonomy is the best, isn’t it?”

David said, 

“I’ll come tomorrow morning and guide you to the apprentice lecture hall. Be ready and waiting by nine o’clock.”

Then he left Lion Hall.

After a moment of silence, the apprentices went upstairs led by Mark. The largest room with the best view and luxurious furniture was naturally claimed by Prince Mark. No one objected to that. He is the son of the current king. He is royalty among royalty.

A problem arose with the second-best room. When Alex chose that room, Tony raised an objection.

“I’d like to use room 2.”

Alex narrowed his eyes. “What is your father’s title?”

“Count.”

“My father is a Marquis.”

With that, he threw his bag on the bed. At the same time, Tony also threw his bag. Tony said, “You’re an illegitimate child, aren’t you?”

Chris observed the two with interested eyes. It seemed that Alex’s Marquis family had more power than Tony’s Count family. However, the former was a concubine’s child, and the latter was a legitimate child.

An illegitimate son of a Marquis family versus a legitimate son of an Count family.

It was exciting to see who would win.

It would be fun if a fistfight broke out.

The conclusion came from an unexpected place. Prince Mark spoke with an unpleasant voice.

“I am also an illegitimate son.”

Chris thought, So the majestic prince is a concubine’s child.

Tony rubbed his hands in embarrassment. 

“Your Highness, that’s not what I meant.”

Alex, riding on the prince’s displeasure, threw Tony’s bag from the bed onto the floor. Tony glared at Alex with fierce eyes but couldn’t oppose further and picked up his bag. His expression looked as pitiful as a rain-soaked cat.

They left the room. Upon closer inspection, the lower the room number, the more spacious and better furnished it was. Following room 1 for the prince and room 2 for the Marquis’s illegitimate son, room 3 was taken by Tony, the legitimate son of the Count family.

Chris muttered to himself, ‘Those three are all the nobles…’

The rest were commoners or below. Room 4 was taken by Catherine, whose family ran a trading company. No one objected to that.

An argument broke out over room 5. When a woman named Faye declared it was her room, Smith came out and raised his voice.

“Don’t decide on your own.”

Faye’s expression soured. 

“Are you objecting?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t object before.”

“They are nobles.”

One corner of Faye’s mouth lifted. 

“Are you discriminating based on status? Then since I’m a commoner, and my status is higher than yours who is a slave, shouldn’t this room naturally be mine?”

“We are wizards. We are of the same status.”

“Just a moment ago… Didn’t you say nobles should be specially treated?”

Smith hesitated for a moment, struggling for an answer. 

“Originally that shouldn’t be the case, but that’s the reality, isn’t it?”

“Are you saying commoners aren’t included in that reality?”

Smith answered firmly, 

“Yes.”

Faye pointed to Catherine, who had taken room 4. 

“Catherine is also a commoner, so why didn’t you object then?”

“That’s… That’s…”

Smith couldn’t answer, his face turning red.

Chris understood Smith’s feelings. He couldn’t say anything to Catherine because she was beautiful. And not just ordinarily beautiful. She was almost angelic.

It’s difficult to object to such a woman.

Chris looked at Catherine’s golden hair that hung down to her waist.

I wonder if it takes an hour to groom that hair, isn’t it bothersome?

His gaze moved to her clothes.

Judging by her expensive clothes, she must be rich. A maid probably helps her with grooming.

Chris nodded in understanding. He had forgotten that there were no maids here.

Smith, seemingly at a loss for words, poked Chris in the side. 

“Don’t just stand there looking stupid, say something too.”

Chris scratched his head with a laugh. 

“I have no complaints.”

He wasn’t trying to avoid the conflict. Chris truly had no complaints. When he was a slave in Baron Xavier’s estate, he slept in a livestock pen. Even the worst room in Lion Hall was a palace compared to his past lodgings.

Chris laughed more broadly and added, 

“Room 9 is fine too.”

“Yes, you take the smallest room 9. Stupid guy.”

Mark, who had been watching the commoners’ argument with indifferent eyes, said, 

“Decide on the rest quickly.”

Mark considered himself the leader of Lion Hall. So, instead of going to his own room, he was watching the room assignment as a matter of supervision.

With Chris and Mark’s comments, room 5 became Faye’s.

Frank said, 

“I’m a commoner too. I’d like to use room 6.”

“Ah, damn it!”

Smith expressed his frustration. Due to buttoning the top button incorrectly, the lower buttons were also misaligned.

“I’ll take room 7.”

Smith frowned as if challenging anyone to object.

Alice said cheerfully, 

“Sure, you take room 7.”

She looked at me. 

“What about the rest? I can take room 9.”

Chris said, 

“No, it’s okay. As I said before, I’m fine with room 9. You take room 8.”

“Okay, I’ll take room 8. No going back on this, right?”

“Yes.”

And with that, the slightly tumultuous room assignment was over.

*    *    *

His eyes opened at four in the morning. During his slave days, he worked from morning till night without rest, so it was rare for him to wake up before someone woke him, but now nothing was tiring him out, so he woke up early.

Chris went downstairs because he was hungry. Searching the kitchen, he found some hard, dry bread.

I’ve eaten spoiled bread before, so this is nothing.

Chris ate the bread bit by bit. He also added cheese he found in the cupboard. Compared to his days in the Baron’s estate, it was a feast.

After finishing his meal and rinsing his mouth, he went to the reception room and started nodding off. When he opened his eyes at the sound of voices, Alex, who claimed to be from a Marquis family, was speaking to Smith and Alice. His tone wasn’t pleasant.

“Is it strange to ask you to prepare breakfast?”

Smith protested, 

“Why should we prepare it?”

Alex let out a deep sigh. 

“The magic tower is so nice.”

“What do you mean?”

Alex made a gesture of choking his neck. 

“If we were outside, you would have been hanged for talking back to me.”

“Well said. But this is the magic tower, and we are all apprentices of the same status. There is no reason for us to prepare meals.”

I admired Smith who was talking back to Alex. During our time in the Baron’s estate, I thought little of him as he just followed Jack around as his minion.

I never knew such a strong and assertive self was inside Smith, who used to bend so easily back then.

I see him in a new light.

Alex clicked his tongue. 

“Listen carefully, you insufficient slave. Why do you think the wizards put us in the same dormitory?”

“…”

“Try to figure out why nobles, commoners, and slaves were placed in the same dormitory.”

“Are you saying we were put here to serve the noble-born?”

“Yes. Now you understand.”

“I don’t think so. We were gathered to achieve results by bringing together people from various social statuses.”

Chris was amazed. 

“Wow, Smith is really smart.”

Smith got angry at the compliment. 

“What’s with you!”

“I’m not mocking you. I didn’t know you were someone who could speak so articulately.”

Chris looked around at the nobles and commoners scattered throughout the reception room and asked, 

“What do you all think?”

The prince and Tony consistently ignored them as if they had no interest, and the commoners just watched like they were observing a fire from across a river. Alice was the only one who answered.

“I think Smith is right.”

Chris said, 

“So it seems, Lord Alex.”

Tony said, 

“What insolent creatures. Let’s just kill them.”

He must have lived that way in his father’s domain.

He probably killed slaves he didn’t like.

And there probably wouldn’t have been any problems.

Chris felt a bitter taste in his mouth. Still, he smiled and said, 

“Forgive me, Honorable Young Master of the Count family.”

Tony’s eyebrows went up. 

“Are you mocking me?”

“No. I’m asking for forgiveness, and further, for understanding.”

Prince Mark said, 

“Understanding what?”

“Unlike Smith, I am willing to prepare meals for your honorable selves. Having escaped slave status, what’s difficult about cooking? With a joyful heart! I can do it gladly.”

“Good, then you can do it.”

“That’s the problem, so I’m asking for your understanding.”

“Why is it a problem?”

“As a slave, my main job was raising livestock. Mainly, I tended pigs. Do you know how terrible the smell of a pigsty is?”

Chris shuddered briefly before continuing.

“Every day, cleaning up dung, feeding fodder. Taking care of cows, goats, sheep, and chickens too. In autumn, gathering wood for winter, chopping firewood, drying it.”

Mark frowned. 

“You’re talking too much. Keep it short.”

“I don’t know how to cook.”

Chris licked his lips.

“Have you heard that flour gets on your hands when making bread? From your expression, I see you don’t know. The kitchen is a popular place to work because there’s food available. It’s not a place that a slave without connections like me could go. I can make good pig slop, but I don’t think the prince and the children of noble families would eat such things…”

At the mention of pig slop, Catherine wrinkled her face in disgust.

She’s a commoner but her family must really be wealthy.

Chris pointed to Smith and continued, 

“He’s from the same estate, but he worked at a brewery. The father of Jack, whom he followed as a boss, was a brewery technician, and he did odd jobs around there. He’s an ignorant guy who doesn’t know the first thing about cooking.”

Chris’s gaze turned to Alice.

“Do you know how to cook?”

“I was in charge of cleaning.”

She seemed to enjoy giving this answer, as a smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

Sounds of tongue-clicking came from the noble-born youths.

“We’ll need to find a maid.”

Alex said, 

“I wonder if we can find one in the magic tower?”

Tony said, 

“I’m not sure.”

Upon thinking about it, it seemed it would be difficult to find one.

Alex and Tony looked at the commoner ladies.

Catherine extended her hands, which looked as white and smooth as white jade.

“I’ve never had a drop of water on them in my life.”

The gaze shifted to Faye.

“You look like you’ve had a lot of water on yours?”

Alex asked, looking Faye up and down.

Faye responded with primness, 

“I know how to boil eggs.”

Alice laughed loudly. “I know how to boil eggs too.”

Chris joined in, 

“The problem is that there are no eggs. It was that way during slave times. It’s that way now.”

As he said this, he recalled the wild pigeon eggs he had hidden in the forest.

They must be rotten by now.

In the end, they had to skip breakfast. Chris, who had gotten up early and eaten bread, was the winner.