I Quit Being a Court Magician Apprentice to Become a Magical Item Craftsman
The crafting of magical potions, such as health and mana potions, also requires magic power. Ideally, one should practice manipulating magic by using spells, but some people seem to think of it as something separate from offensive magic. However, the source of the magic power—one’s soul—is the same. If someone struggles to succeed as a mage, it’s unlikely they’ll easily transition into becoming an item craftsman.
One might think that herbal magic, which relies more on the natural power of herbs rather than magical energy, would be an easier alternative—but that also requires a lot of study.
By the way, in herbal magic, potions are made using the medicinal properties of herbs, creating remedies such as fever reducers, digestive aids, and anti-diarrheal medicines. Herbs are also commonly used in herbal magic.
“Why do you think magic activates?”
I asked Annika. She probably hasn’t studied magic theory, so I wanted to gauge her understanding. That knowledge directly affects the precision and power of magic.
“Uh…? Isn’t it just using magic power to create fire or water?”
I see—she has no clue.
“Simply put, what magic power interacts with is mana. That mana, with the help of incantations, transforms into ether. The ether then converts the primordial substance—prima materia—into elemental components.”
“O-okay.”
Annika was diligently taking notes. Maybe I should slow down a bit.
“You don’t have to write everything down—I can always explain it again.”
“No, if I don’t write it myself, I won’t remember it.”
She shook her head slightly at Shemihaza’s words.
“If you understand this, your magic will become stronger. So think carefully. Visualization and breathing are important, too. You tend to get nervous quickly, Annika. You should learn how to relax more.”
Maybe I should leave the explanation about elemental properties to Shemihaza. By assigning two of the four primary qualities to prima materia, you get the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. Light and darkness are a bit different—they require three qualities. The four primary qualities are heat, cold, moisture, and dryness.
If I dump all this information on her at once, she’ll just get confused. I’ll give her a reference chart later—that’ll make it easier to understand.
“I’d like to see your magic, Annika.”
She’s meticulous in her work, so if she learns to control her magic, she should be able to craft high potions. In her current state, elixirs are out of the question. Even her purification effect was a bit weak.
“Then, should we use the training facility at the Adventurers’ Guild?”
Annika is a former adventurer, but she never officially retired, so she still has access to the training grounds. If an adventurer doesn’t take on any jobs, they only need to renew their status once a year to maintain their rank. Taking a job automatically renews their status. If a full year passes without accepting a job, they enter a renewal period. If they go another month beyond that without renewing, their adventurer rank resets to the beginning.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to just go outside and hunt a random monster?”
“When you say ‘a random monster,’ Lady Iriya , don’t you usually mean creatures that would easily slaughter an average D-rank adventurer?”
Ekvar chuckled.
I’m not sure what kind of monster fits that description. The Anzu bird from before would probably count—it’s a dangerous beast that uses lightning.
“Slow-moving turtle-like monsters or low-tier dragons should be easier to defeat.”
“T-there’s no way I can beat something like that…!!!”
Annika answered, trembling. Personally, I’ve been slaying young dragons with magic since childhood, so they don’t scare me. They don’t even use breath attacks.
“Then how about a cyclops? It’s on the smaller side for a giant, and it’s a big, easy target.”
“Yeah… your sense of danger is as off as ever.”
But Ekvar himself loves dragon hunting!
“Belial… At first, I thought your contractor was just a normal girl, but now I’m convinced she’s completely insane.”
“Even Kingu called her reckless. But of course—my contractor must not be someone who fears dragons!”
Why is it that even non-humans think I’m abnormal?
This is definitely Belial’s fault!!
“Since we’re at it, why don’t we take on a hunting request? If you rely on the yearly renewal, you’ll have to pay a management fee.”
That made sense. Following Ekvar ’s suggestion, Annika and I headed to the Adventurers’ Guild. Since it was midday, there might not be many hunting requests available.
On the request board, various jobs were listed: monster hunts, material gathering, cargo transport, escort missions, and even shop assistant work. Surprisingly, there was quite a variety left.
…Wait, shop assistant?
“That kind of request comes up occasionally. Adventurers can take literacy and basic math lessons in the guild’s training rooms. The tuition fees are much cheaper than studying elsewhere. Some people become knowledgeable about herbs just by doing gathering work.”
Annika explained while scanning the board. Not everyone can read and do math, so posting a request at the guild ensures reliable help. In a larger town like this, literacy rates are high, but hiring through the guild means getting someone trustworthy. It reduces the risk of theft, and any trouble can be reported to the guild. The service fee is like an insurance policy.
The Adventurers’ Guild really does a lot. Apparently, many countries provide subsidies for guild training programs, which is why they can offer lessons so cheaply.
“Oh… this request…”
Annika’s eyes landed on a particular request. I checked the same posting.
It was a plea for detoxification.
“Excuse me, about this detox request… Is this related to that recently discovered cave with highly venomous monsters? Were the medicines ineffective?”
Annika asked the receptionist.
“Yes. They tried the strongest antidotes available in Renant, but initially, the town didn’t stock very potent ones since they were rarely needed. The people poisoned in the early incidents have now had the toxins in their system for too long, so the antidotes aren’t working well.”
“Let’s take the request, Annika. Why don’t you try using your magic?”
“Yes, I do want to help them… but I’m not sure if my magic will be effective on someone in that condition.”
Hearing that even medicine hadn’t worked, she seemed unsure of herself.
“It’ll be fine. I still have two powerful antidotes left. If magic doesn’t work, we can rely on those.”
“Alright! In that case, I feel much more reassured…!”
When we handed over the request slip to accept the job, the receptionist explained the location of the client’s home and what they knew about their condition.
“Also, this request is reward-based only, with no upfront preparation funds. However, if you’re unable to complete it, there won’t be any penalties as long as you report back promptly. The client wanted to ensure that adventurers wouldn’t hesitate to accept the request out of fear of penalties.”
“Understood. We’ll report back as soon as possible.”
Annika formally accepted the request by presenting her guild card and rank insignia.
Apparently, some requests do provide preparation funds, but they also come with failure penalties.
Heading to the Client’s Home
We quickly made our way to the client’s home. It turned out the client was an adventurer who had been investigating the newly discovered cave and got poisoned in the process.
His party had rented a small house to live together now that their income had stabilized.
“Oh, Iriya . What brings you here?”
It had been a while since I’d seen Esme, the bob-cut mage. Their party, The Great Tree of Isashim, was a D-rank adventurer group, and now that their finances had improved, they decided to rent a house together.
So, the one who got poisoned must be…
“Nice to meet you, I’m Annika, Iriya -sensei’s apprentice. We’ve accepted the detoxification request.”
As Annika introduced herself, showing her guild card and the request letter, a young woman with reddish-brown braided hair came rushing over.
“Really?! Thank goodness! His fever hasn’t gone down, and we’ve been so worried!”
“…This way. Come in.”
That was Lurolf, as quiet and sturdy as ever. He was wearing a simple shirt today.
The one who had been poisoned was their leader, Leon. Apparently, he had shielded Esme during the fight.
Rushing into the newly discovered cave, getting injured, and barely making it back… It was a common mistake for young adventurers, but a single misstep could cost them their lives. At least he had made it back.
Now, time for the treatment. We needed to get him well so they could all take requests together again.
Lauris, their usually cheerful archer, was doing his best to help with the nursing care.
“Here it is.”
The wound on Leon’s arm was still swollen and had turned a dark color. They had tied a cloth around it and applied medicine to slow the spread of the poison, but it seemed to be a constant battle.
Lauris, uncharacteristically serious, looked at Annika with concern. She nodded and stepped beside Leon, beginning her incantation.
“Mistress of the Earth, have mercy on us who dwell upon your land. Bring salvation from this torment of poison. Purge the taint from his blood and grant him strength to stand again. Guérir Poison.”
A soft light enveloped Leon’s body. However, the wound remained dark, almost unchanged.
“…Too much time has passed, and the poison is too strong. Iriya -sensei…?”
“I’ll use a different spell now. Watch carefully and remember it.”
I placed both hands near the wound and took a slow, deep breath.
“Poison, tormentor of the body. Malicious thorn that brings suffering. By the power of heaven and earth, be eradicated.”
A silver-white light radiated from my hands, illuminating the wound.
…It was deeper than I thought.
Focusing my magic, I poured my energy into purging the poison at its root. Slowly, the dark hue faded, and his skin returned to its natural color.
“Whoa…!?”
Lauris let out a thrilled gasp.
“That should do it. I don’t have any fever medicine, so you’ll have to buy some from Alesia.”
After receiving the request completion stamp on the form, we were officially done. Everyone seemed relieved and happy.
“We should’ve just asked Iriya from the start!”
Reeni, the healer who had been checking on Leon, sighed in relief as she balanced a tray with drinks in both hands.
Since she had gone through the trouble, I gratefully accepted a glass of chilled tea.
“You could have just told me.”
“We thought the strong antidote Iriya taught Alesia to make didn’t work, so we assumed you wouldn’t be able to help either. We did stop by your place, but it seemed like you had guests, so…”
Now that she mentioned it, I had been having quite a few visitors lately. They must have hesitated because of that.
After chatting over drinks for a bit, we said our goodbyes. Reeni already knew how to handle Leon’s recovery, so no further instructions were necessary.
“…You really saved us. Thank you. Come visit sometime, okay?”
Esme muttered as we left, her eyes turned away. It seemed she was too embarrassed to say it outright.
Reporting to the Adventurer’s Guild
On the way back, Annika asked me a question.
“That spell… what was it?”
“It was an old, powerful detoxification spell that I deciphered and simplified to make it easier to use.”
“As expected from Sensei! That was amazing!”
…Was she starting to sound like Sebirino, or was it just my imagination?
“I got to see your magic in action, Annika. We’ll go over your performance once we’re back.”
“…I’m a little nervous about that.”
We submitted our completion report at the guild and received our reward.
Equvar had been waiting, thinking we would be heading off on a subjugation quest together, and looked pretty disappointed.
