The Patient Wizard Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – The Magic Tower (9)

I took thirty steps, and nothing dangerous happened.
“Phew.”
I let out a long breath and released my tension. Fortunately, the path widened, making me feel relieved. Coming down the mountain, there was an arrow sign pointing to the right. Comparing it with the map, it seemed to be the correct path. After walking for another 20 minutes along the route, I saw a signpost.
<700 steps more to Stratton Village>
So the village’s name is Stratton.
Feeling bored, I counted my steps as I walked. After about 200 steps, the village began to come into view. I thought it would be a small village with about a hundred households gathered together, but it was surprisingly large. As the distance shortened and the scale of the village came into view, Chris quietly exclaimed in amazement.
Stratton was not at the level of a village. It was large enough to be called a city. There were numerous three-story buildings, and the roads were paved with bricks.
Chris greeted the guard at the entrance of the village and walked along the central avenue of Stratton, looking around like a country boy visiting a city for the first time.
“There’s even a fountain.”
He walked to the fountain and watched the water spurting from a jar held by a mermaid. An old man sitting at the edge of the fountain basking in the sunlight whistled toward Chris.
“Hey, boy, I haven’t seen your face before.”
Chris looked at the old man. His whole face was wrinkled, with liver spots here and there.
“That’s because it’s my first time here.”
When he replied indifferently, the old man jumped down from the fountain and approached right up to his face. Chris took a step back, feeling uncomfortable.
The old man said:
“You’re from the Magic Tower.”
“How did you know?”
“I heard new students have entered the Magic Tower.”
“I might not be a new student.”
The old man looked Chris up and down.
“You don’t have a belt so you’re not a gyesin, and you don’t have a robe so you’re not a wizard either. Of course you’re a new student. Are you going to keep insisting you’re not a new student when it’s written all over your face that you’re a greenhorn?”
Chris rubbed his face and then shrugged.
“I wasn’t planning to insist.”
“Isn’t it too early to give up already?”
“Give up? What are you talking about?”
“Didn’t you come down to the village because you gave up on becoming a wizard?”
Chris became serious.
“No, I didn’t.”
Then, lowering his voice, he asked:
“If I give up, do I come down to the village?”
“Many come here. Didn’t you know?”
“Know what?”
“The name of this village.”
“It’s Stratton, right?”
“That’s the official name, but there’s a real name separate from that.”
“Isn’t the official name the real name?”
“Usually yes, but not here.”
“What’s the real name then?”
“City of Losers.”
“Losers?”
“What do you think happens to the dormitory apprentices who ultimately fail to sense magic?”
Chris frowned at the word ‘losers.’ The old man, not noticing the other’s discomfort, continued excitedly:
“Commoners don’t have enough money to go back home. And even if they go back, no one will welcome them. They’ll only be subjects of disappointment and ridicule. Not to mention those who would have to return to slavery if they went back. Even among nobles, there are those who stay here reluctantly because no one would welcome them. And!”
The old man paused with a meaningful expression. Chris didn’t like being drawn into the old man’s intentions, but unable to resist his curiosity, he opened his mouth.
“And what?”
Somehow his pride was hurt.
“Those who have lingering attachments. Those who never give up cling to their last hope and come to this City of Losers. And even those who crossed the barrier of sensing magic but got stuck at the next stage and ultimately couldn’t become wizards gather here in their later years.”
“You mean shinsas?”
“Oh, you know a lot for a new student.”
“You just mentioned shinsas a moment ago.”
“Did I? I’m getting old, so I’m confused about what I said.”
Chris looked around.
“The city seems too large to be formed by losers from the Magic Tower, doesn’t it? New students come in once every 10 or 20 years, so how many losers could there be?”
“What are you talking about? They come in once every 2 years, or at most every 3 or 4 years.”
“In our village, it was once in 20 years.”
The old man openly dismissed him.
“So you’re from the outskirts.”
“Outskirts?”
“A backwater village that gets skipped when the recruitment quota is filled.”
Chris realized.
They came to our village because they were short on people.
He didn’t like the Baronial Estate of Xavier. But when a stranger he just met disparaged his hometown, he got annoyed.
“Even if losers come down every 2 or 3 years, the city can’t be this big.”
“You, you’re a fool.”
It’s been a while since I’ve been called a fool.
“Old man, you’re being rude.”
“Kid, losers are people too.”
“Who said they weren’t?”
“Losers also date, get married, and have children. And do you know how long the history of the Magic Tower is? Descendants have children, and their descendants have children, and those descendants’ descendants have children, and the descendants of those descendants’ descendants…”
The old man stopped talking, out of breath.
Chris was getting tired of the conversation.
“Well, let’s say it’s like that.”
The old man licked his lips, seeming thirsty.
“It’s not just descendants.”
“Who else is there?”
“This is a village below the Magic Tower. People flock here from all over the kingdom to buy magical items from the Magic Tower. Wizards often purchase resources here too.”
“Wizards buy resources?”
“It takes tremendous resources to reach higher levels. Being a wizard is like a money-eating hippo.”
“So the village lives off intermediary trading.”
“That’s right. They sell training resources to the Magic Tower, provide consumables like food and clothing, and also supply labor for menial tasks. Over there.”
Looking where he pointed, Chris saw Juan entering a store with a black sign.
“They even recruit servants for the apprentice dormitories from the village.”
The old man scrutinized Chris as he continued.
“You seem to know Juan. Are you from the Lion Hall?”
“Yes.”
“Bad luck.”
“Is it bad luck if Juan is a servant?”
“He’s unreliable.”
“Has that rumor spread to the village?”
“It’s not a recent issue. People who come down looking for work, like you, complain about him a lot.”
“It’s surprising he hasn’t been fired.”
“Who was the wizard in charge of the Lion Hall again… Was it David?”
“You know a lot.”
“David is from our village. He’s a bit soft.”
Recalling David who accompanied the cruel Randall who burned Jack to death, he doesn’t seem soft at all. But thinking of David these days…
Chris shook his head while thinking. He’s certainly not as cold as before. But soft isn’t the right word. David is far from being soft.
Just because he doesn’t torment others doesn’t mean he’s soft.
“Are there many wizards from Stratton Village at the Magic Tower?”
“Even though the dropouts received help from the wind cauldron, they still moved magic. They have higher magic affinity than ordinary people. It’s only natural that children born among such people would have a talent for magic.”
“I see.”
The old man suddenly clicked his tongue.
“Juan, that guy should have given up by now.”
“So Juan is our senior.”
“Yes. He’s from the Lion Hall. He’s the most stagnant of the stagnant.”
The old man’s gaze became distant. He counted on his fingers and muttered:
“Let’s see, it’s definitely more than thirty years… thirty-five or thirty-six years…”
“He hasn’t given up for such a long time?”
“Yes, he still dreams of becoming a wizard. A guy who couldn’t even sense magic. It’s foolish.”
Chris was afraid he might become like Juan. He quickly erased thoughts of Juan from his mind.
“It was nice talking to you.”
After nodding slightly, he walked past the old man, who approached and said:
“Leave it to me.”
He then handed over a business card. Chris looked at the card and narrowed his eyes.
“S… S… T…”
The old man shook his head.
“You, can’t you read?”
Chris’s face turned red.
“I’m learning.”
The old man pointed to each character and said,
“Stan General Store. That’s what it says.”
“I see.”
“Usually after about 6 or 7 months, people start to half-give up, thinking ‘I guess I don’t have the talent to sense magic.’ Then the administrators quietly hint about the existence of the village. Noble apprentices start sending commoners and former slaves who gave up on becoming wizards on errands, and such kids start appearing in the village one by one…”
Chris fiddled with the business card.
“So that’s why you said I gave up early.”
“If you’re a Lion Hall apprentice, it makes sense that you showed up early. Is it because Juan doesn’t do his job properly? Right? What errand do you need done?”
Stan beat his chest.
“I specialize in apprentice dormitory matters. Leave anything to me. I’ll take care of everything.”
Chris put away the business card.
“Since this is fate, good. Do you know a place that specializes in cleaning high-quality clothing?”
“Of course. Follow me.”
Chris followed Stan. Stan pointed to the fountain.
“See that mermaid statue?”
“Yes.”
“This fountain is called the Mermaid Fountain. And the surrounding area is called Mermaid Square.”
“The name is intuitive.”
“You use sophisticated words for a slave.”
“Do I look like a slave?”
“Your clothes are shabby.”
“I could be a poor commoner.”
“People running errands are mostly former slaves. Especially those who appear early, nine out of ten are slaves. It seems the slave mentality makes them give up quickly.”
“Old man, you have a talent for ruining customer moods.”
“My pleasure.”
“That wasn’t a compliment. I should look for another store.”
“It would be disappointing if you went elsewhere after coming all the way to my door.”
“Are we already here?”
“Yes.”
Stan’s General Store was located on the south side of the square. Squares are often located in the center of cities. Naturally, the land value must be expensive, but the store was quite large.
“Old man, you’re unexpectedly rich.”
Stan made a coy expression that would suit a young girl.
“Unexpectedly? That’s a hurtful thing to say. The widow next door said I have an aristocratic air.”
He opened the door.
“Come in.”
Since he wasn’t really angry, Chris entered through the door. It felt cool inside, lower in temperature than the square.
“Customer’s here.”
A large middle-aged man who had been dozing behind the counter woke up.
“Hello, valued customer.”
An energetic greeting that didn’t match his build. Chris swallowed the rising nausea and smiled awkwardly.
He looks like he could kill a cow with his bare hands, but greets like a young girl.
“Are you perhaps a former bandit?”
“What are you saying, valued customer?”
Blue veins writhed on the forearm that came up over the counter.
“Hahaha, nothing.”
The store was filled with all kinds of items, living up to its name as a general store. Chris licked his lips.
“Old man Stan, your store has charm like an antique shop. But it doesn’t look like a place that does laundry.”
“Of course I don’t do laundry myself. There’s a place to take it.”
“Please introduce me to that place.”
“My, young friend, your words are hurtful.”
The big man came over, crossing the counter. Up close, he looked even bigger. He was as massive as a bear that had fattened up before hibernation.
Chris clutched his spatial bag tightly to his chest.
“Are you trying to kill a member of the Magic Tower in a village that survives off the tower?”
Stan jumped in surprise.
“Who’s trying to harm you! Don’t say such alarming things.”
“Then back off.”
The big man extended his hand. Chris flinched, thinking he was about to be hit. The big man held out his palm and stayed still.
“My name is Scott. If you have business in the village in the future, come to Stan’s General Store and ask for Scott. All your wishes will come true.”
Chris belatedly understood his intention and extended his hand to shake. Chris’s hand was still small as his growth wasn’t complete. Holding a hand the size of a pot lid made it look even smaller.
Scott shook his hand vigorously.
“I get misunderstood a lot because of my appearance.”
Then he winked. Seeing the wink, Chris felt sick to his stomach. He felt like he might vomit.
The man’s hand suddenly reached in and pulled out the bag Chris was holding.
“Is this for laundry?”
Chris was flustered.
“Yes, it is.”
“It’s heavier than it looks, so it must be a space bag.”
He identified the bag’s nature at a glance, so he’s not a fraud.
“Yes.”
“Come back in five days. I’ll have it done perfectly.”
“I haven’t said I’m leaving it yet…”
Stan cut in.
“If he does a shoddy job, I’ll report to David. Even soft David is strict when it comes to villagers cheating apprentices.”