The Patient Wizard Chapter 8

Chapter 8- The Magic Tower (8)

Chris left the Lion Hall, following David.
“Wizard.”
David briefly paused his steps.
“Do you have another question?”
There were many things Chris wanted to ask about the secrets of the Magic Tower, but he refrained because it seemed unlikely he would get answers. Chris asked a different question.
“Not to mention Prince Mark, but why didn’t Alex and Tony receive training when they were at home, even though they are members of high-ranking noble families?”
“Training? What kind of training?”
“As you know, Wizard David, I’m from the Baronial Estate of Xavier.”
“And?”
“The Baron has three sons, and they all have knights as their masters and train diligently. If even a rural estate is like that, families like the royal family, marquis, or count must have their own excellent methods, so I wonder why they didn’t practice them. If they had learned something then, wouldn’t they be able to feel magic more easily?”
“First, I need to address this.”
His expression became arrogant.
“A wizard, even an apprentice, should never have a mere knight as a master! And the methods circulating outside often differ from our Magic Tower’s magic manipulation techniques, which can hinder one’s advancement as a wizard later on. It’s better to encounter magic in a pure state without having learned anything. That’s probably why they weren’t taught.”
His eyes narrowed.
“But how did you know they didn’t train while at their family homes? Proud noble boys wouldn’t have shared such intimate details with someone of slave origin like you.”
“I guessed by looking at their hands.”
“Hands?”
“Yes, they don’t have any calluses at all.”
“You have good observation skills. Now go back inside.”
“Yes, take care on your way in.”
Chris bowed until David was out of sight. Then he tilted his head in confusion.
In the baron’s estate and during the journey to the Magic Tower, David treated the successful candidates coldly. It was almost frightening. But at Lion Hall, he didn’t show a cold attitude. He even answered questions.
Why had his attitude changed?
Was it because there was no fearsome master nearby that he had softened, or was it because the prince was in Lion Hall that he showed minimal courtesy?
It was puzzling.

* * *

The first person to wake up in Lion Hall is Chris. The first person to eat is also Chris. The second is either Smith or Frank, and today, Smith appeared as second.
While buttering his bread, Smith asked,
“What did you talk about when you followed David last night?”
Chris gave him a serious warning.
“Didn’t you hear Wizard David’s warning yesterday?”
“What?”
“He said that speaking carelessly to a wizard could get you killed. Address him respectfully as wizard.”
“What does it matter when he’s not around? So what did you talk about yesterday?”
Chris pointed to the ceiling with his index finger.
“I asked him why those nobles up there couldn’t learn their family secrets.”
“Why did you ask about that?”
“I wanted to confirm if they really hadn’t learned anything.”
“Confirm?”
“From the situation, conversations, and looking at their hands, it seems they didn’t learn anything at home… But it could be different. I’ve heard that what’s really important for knights is not the strength of their arms and legs, but their inner strength. They might be hiding dangerous power inside that doesn’t show outwardly like calluses on the palm.”
“Why are you curious about that?”
“You’ve experienced it too. How rude they are. If I happened to confront them and got beaten because of their hidden power, I’d be the only one losing out.”
Smith looked at him with suspicious eyes.
“So you’re thinking of confronting them?”
“Actually… No. I’m planning to humor them as much as possible, but there could always be exceptions.”
Smith hit his chest.
“That’s what frustrates me! We’re no longer slaves. We’re equals now. So why do you have to humor the nobles!”
“I’m afraid of not being able to feel magic.”
“What?”
“When I passed the test in the estate, I thought it was a huge break. My life had turned around. End of misfortune, beginning of happiness.”
Chris smiled bitterly. Suddenly, the sweet bread tasted bland.
“But when I actually arrived at the Magic Tower, I realized I was just at the starting line. What happens if I can’t feel magic?”
Chris shook his head and answered his own question.
“I’m screwed. I’m totally screwed.”
“So?”
“I need to prepare for contingencies.”
“Ah, so if you fail, you’re planning to stick with the nobles?”
“Yes.”
“You bastard.”
Smith gave Chris a knuckle tap on the head for the first time in a while.
“Think about succeeding somehow. Why worry about failure already? That’s the thinking of losers.”
Chris clicked his tongue.
“Do I seem lucky to you?”
Smith couldn’t answer.
“If I were lucky, would I have been born a slave?”
“…”
“And grown up as an orphan?”
“…”
“Would I have had no relatives to look after me?”
“…”
“Not even any inherited property… Do I look lucky to you?”
“There’s a saying that happiness comes after hardship. Your luck might turn from now on.”
Chris snapped his fingers.
“That’s exactly it. I’m also hoping that ‘my terrible luck so far has been a trial before great fortune comes.’ But it could also be nothing. My luck might have ended with passing the test.”
Chris tore his bread and wiped his soup bowl with it.
“I’d like to keep eating bread and soup even if I fail. Even if I can’t eat meat.”
“Fine, keep licking noble bottoms until they’re raw.”
Smith seemed to have lost his appetite and pushed away the bread basket.
“So why couldn’t they learn the family secrets?”
“Apparently, noble family techniques don’t mesh well with the Magic Tower’s methods. They would be obstacles to growing as a wizard.”
“So they deliberately didn’t teach them because they wanted them to grow as wizards from the beginning.”
“If not that, then they were neglected because they were disliked.”
The third to appear was Catherine. She came with a bundle full of clothes.
“Go to the village and have these washed.”
When Chris tried to take the bundle, Catherine held it tightly and wouldn’t let go.
“You must entrust these to a professional launderer experienced in handling high-value clothing. Don’t give them to just anyone.”
“I understand.”
Still, Catherine didn’t release the bundle.
“Remember what I said.”
“I said I understand.”
Chris took the bundle and held out his palm. At that moment, the other members poured into the dining hall.
Seeing Chris holding out his hand to Catherine, Alex jutted his chin out.
“What’s this? Surely you’re not asking her to dance?”
Chris glanced at Alex.
“I’m trying to get paid for the errand.”
“What errand?”
“Doing laundry.”
“I’ll have some done too.”
As Alex went upstairs, Mark and Tony also headed to their rooms. The three came down with armfuls of clothes.
Chris looked troubled at the pile of clothes in front of him.
“There’s too much to carry at once.”
Catherine said,
“I’ll lend you a bag.”
Then she went to get the bag.
“One bag won’t be nearly enough.”
Chris tilted his head. It seems it wouldn’t be enough even with a backpack on his back and bags in both hands. Shortly after, Catherine handed him a bag.
“Put everything in here.”
Chris showed his confusion.
“How can I fit all these clothes in one bag?”
Alex openly mocked him.
“Of course, someone as lowly as you wouldn’t know about space bags.”
“Space bag! What’s that?”
Catherine said as she put her bundle into the bag,
“The inside space is much larger than it appears.”
The bundle was larger than the bag but went in without any problem.
“Ah, I see.”
The reason Catherine could change clothes every day was because she had a space bag. She had far more clothes than what was visible.
Prince Mark packed his clothes separately. Alex and Tony followed suit.
“Now we just need to settle on the payment.”
As Chris picked up the bag, Alex asked,
“Yes, good. How much is the fee?”
Chris held up one finger.
“Gold coin…”
As he hesitated, the three simultaneously glared at him as if they would devour him. Chris flinched and corrected himself.
“Silver coin.”
Then, he stealthily spread out two more fingers.
“Three seems fair, doesn’t it?”
“You want three silver coins for crossing one mountain? This guy is crazy.”
Tony continued Alex’s comment.
“Not crazy, a bandit. A bandit. Do you know what my father did to the bandits who appeared in our territory?”
Alex asked,
“What did he do?”
“Tore them limb from limb.”
Mark added,
“That’s well done.”
Chris folded one finger.
“Let’s make it two.”
Still no positive response.
“I mean two per month, not for one laundry trip.”
No one agreed. Chris had no intention of yielding further.
“It will take four or five hours to go down to the village, drop off the work, and return. It will take another four or five hours when I go to pick them up. That means I have to spend two days for one laundry run.”
Chris emphasized again,
“Two days wasted in this crucial time when I should be trying to feel magic as soon as possible.”
Alice chimed in,
“Chris, don’t do it. If you do laundry twice a month, that’s four days lost. The opportunity cost is too high.”
“You’re right. Blinded by the desire to make money, I forgot my duty.”
Alex sneered,
“How could you feel magic? Just earn money.”
Chris shook his head.
“I can’t risk my future for small change. Considering the opportunity cost, as Alice said…”
As Chris’s third finger, which had been folded, rose again, Alex quickly said,
“Fine, two per month.”
Tony said,
“I agree, too.”
Chris pretended to reluctantly accept.
“Payment in advance.”
Alex was displeased with having to pay for a task that a slave should rightfully do, but this was the Magic Tower, not his territory. He had no choice. He held out two silver coins with obvious displeasure.
“If this were our territory…”
Chris quickly cut him off.
“Yes, I know. I’d have my limbs torn off and die.”
Mark, Tony, and Catherine also paid. Chris took out the map David had drawn and stood up.
“I’ll go drop off the laundry.”
The map was excessively simple. It only showed the path from Lion Hall to the lower village. So there were many confusing spots. Some places had grass growing over the path, and there were unmarked forks in the road, causing quite a few trial and error moments. Because of this, he wandered for a good four hours. It was fortunate he didn’t completely lose his way.
Having finally found the proper path and heading down, he heard a sound from the empty air.
Beeeep.
The sound wasn’t particularly loud, but strangely, it made his ears sting. At the same time, a chill ran down his spine. It felt like he would meet with disaster if he moved carelessly.
What is this?
David’s warning about not crossing the boundary without a passage token came to mind belatedly.
This must be the boundary.
Chris grumbled internally.
Could have explained it properly.
Chris took out the passage token David had given him and held it above his head like a shield blocking falling arrows. Something scanned the token as it passed by. Then, it became quiet. No bird sounds, no insect sounds. Even the sound of the wind seemed to have disappeared.
After a while, the bird sounds returned. Only then did Chris’s head, which had been buried between his shoulders, slowly rise.
“May I proceed?”
There was no answer.
“I’m going.”
Chris took one step forward, then drew it back.
“I’m really going.”
Silence.
“It’s okay to go, right?”
No response.
Chris put the map in his mouth, held out the passage token in his right hand, and raised the bag in his left hand over his head like an umbrella. He slowly moved forward. Cold sweat formed on the back of his neck.