Chapter 126

I Quit Being a Court Magician Apprentice to Become a Magical Item Craftsman

A Day Trip to the Mining Town of Konglomo

Sebirino and Equvar  had been away for work since yesterday.

I headed to the mining town together with Belial, Annika, and Shemihaza. Lini stayed behind.

Two national guests were coming for an inspection, guided by the royal court’s magicians. I was going to help with their reception. Apparently, they declined any security escort, as they didn’t want to stand out and requested the smallest necessary group.

At the entrance of the town, the supervisor, Danio, who had short brown hair, was waiting with someone else.

“Thank you for coming today! They want to see the mining and refining process of mithril. The technology here is more advanced in that regard.”

“Chenkaslar is known for yielding high-quality ore, after all.”

I actually knew the reason why. The land was rich with an abundance of energy, making the ore high-quality. This was due to the mountain range that divided the continent. It was a path through which the earth’s energy, known as dragon veins, flowed. If I were to compare it to humans, this energy was akin to magical power. Where it surfaced strongly, forming what was called a dragon lair, the Gawkelena tree would grow. It wasn’t just about climate conditions—hence, the regions where it could be harvested were extremely limited. Epiartion also grew in places rich in earth’s energy, but it wasn’t as dependent on it as Gawkelena.

The energy of the earth, mana of the sky, and ether of the cosmos—these were the representative magical forces of the natural world.

“The royal court will primarily be handling the reception, so I’d like you to assist with explanations inside the tunnels and act as a bridge between the workers. The laborers are a bit rough around the edges, and they aren’t great at responding properly…”

Apparently, they had tried to practice but got too embarrassed to do it well.

In short, they needed someone to assist the supervisor. That seemed manageable enough. Annika looked relieved, too.

As we waited at the mountain entrance on the outskirts of town, the inspection group arrived.

But I should have realized it sooner.

Two people were supposed to be here for other business, and two people were expected for the inspection.

The ones who arrived… were Sebirino and Equvar .

“Huh? Lady Iriya ?”

“Master! What are you doing here?”

The supervisor looked back and forth between me and the two of them in shock.

“…! The D-rank adventurer who was guarding Lady Iriya  the other day?!”

“Haha, yeah. Today, I’m acting as the escort for Egdoarm’s magicians.”

Equvar  played dumb.

And accompanying them was a woman with sky-blue hair and a white robe—Edith Palehman, the magician who had traveled with us to the Norsanus Empire. An unexpected reunion.

“What are you guys doing here?”

“I was asked to assist with explanations inside the tunnels for the inspection. Apparently, there aren’t many people in the mines capable of providing a proper explanation. I have some experience from when I helped with the excavation of Hihiirokane before.”

“I became Lady Iriya ’s apprentice! And I made a contract with Shemihaza here.”

Annika glanced at the man standing beside her, and he smiled and nodded.

“That’s great, making a contract! He’s… a fallen angel, isn’t he?”

“You can tell?”

“I am a royal court magician, you know!”

Edith puffed out her chest proudly. So she was the one in charge of entertaining the guests. Being a magician and a woman, she was a perfect fit.

I was relieved that I was with people I knew. Even the supervisor seemed to relax a little.

“By the way, Lord Arlens. If I didn’t mishear, did you just call her Master?”

Edith caught on.                                                   

“Lady Iriya  is my most respected master!”

“Ehhhhh?!”

Her expressions were becoming more and more varied. Edith was so surprised that she couldn’t say anything else. Yep, let’s leave it at that.

This time, we were guiding them through the main, larger tunnel. As we walked while explaining the minecarts, we were almost at the mining site when—

A woman flew in, using flight magic, looking extremely flustered.

“Where’s the person in charge here?! I am Albertina, a magician from the Duchy of Fen. This is an emergency!!”

She was a tall woman with dark red hair tied in a single ponytail, wearing a breastplate. I had met her before, during the Gawkelena incident.

“An emergency? What happened?!”

“It’s been a while, but… don’t tell me, is this about Tranchinel?”

The supervisor asked first, and then I greeted her and inquired further. It couldn’t be a war… or else she wouldn’t be here.

“You’re Iriya , the craftswoman from Renant?! Perfect. You’re a magician too, right? Do you know about the rocky area in the Duchy of Fen known as the Dragon’s Nest? We received reports that the dragons there had been unusually restless, as if frightened by something. We increased surveillance, and several dragons—including intermediate ones—became agitated and descended the mountains!”

“Dragons…?! Something actually managed to scare dragons?!”

The supervisor asked in shock. Albertina nodded gravely and continued.

“I suspect it’s related to Tranchinel. But we can’t investigate—it’s too dangerous. We’ve already taken down a few and are still engaged in combat in our country. But some of them have come this way. You must deal with them immediately. I’m sorry, but this is beyond our ability.”

“Does that mean there are intermediate-class dragons here too? Do you know how many?”

I asked, hoping for a clear answer.

“There are at least two intermediate-class dragons and three lower-class ones. Possibly more. And they might be scattered…”

“Then one of the intermediate ones shall be mine!”

Hearing that an intermediate-class dragon was approaching, Belial’s enthusiasm skyrocketed. He was far more excited about this than giving a mine tour.

“Annika, will you stay here?”

“Yes, I can’t fight dragons…”

“Then I shall remain as well and help defend the town.”

Annika and Shemihaza would stay behind. That should be enough to keep the town safe.

“I’ll stay, too. I’m not very good at using magic while flying.”

Edith also chose to remain. Using magic while airborne required intense concentration—experience helped, but it was still difficult.

“Alright, time to get serious! If only all of them were intermediate or higher, I could collect Dragon Tears to my heart’s content!”

“You really are worryingly reliable in times like this,” Equvar  said with a wry smile.

“Dragons are nothing more than prey for the hunt.”

“Master! I will accompany you!”

Belial and Sebirino would be coming with me.

We set our sights on the intermediate-class dragons! Time to claim some Dragon Tears!

“Belial aside… the way you contract holders and your associates react is unlike any humans I know…”

Shemihaza seemed a little bewildered.

“I…”

Albertina, who had been momentarily stunned by our reaction, glanced around, debating whether to stay or go.

“…Lady Iriya , Sebirino, and Lord Belial will take care of the intermediate dragons. Annika, Shemihaza, and Edith Palehman will defend the town. Edith, how effective is your Sufle Defense?”

“It’ll hold against an intermediate-class dragon, but… wait, why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“Equvar  has switched to military mode. Trust me, you don’t want to argue with him when he’s like this.”

“Then I’ll stay for the town’s defense as well.”

“Alright. Albertina, how effective is your Sufle Defense?”

“It can withstand even a high-class dragon once.”

“Good. Then you and I will patrol the surrounding area…”

“Alright, disperse!!”

Equvar  took my wyvern and flew off with Albertina to scout the area. The supervisor ran toward the town to report to the adventurers’ guild and town leader. Another assistant went inside the mine to warn the workers. It was safer to stay inside the tunnels.

We headed toward the intermediate dragons. We knew their direction from Albertina—now to find them!