I Quit Being a Court Magician Apprentice to Become a Magical Item Craftsman
After the battle with Leviathan, we returned to Sozon Clayton, who was waiting at the port.
I was exhausted.
Clayton seemed to have sensed the flow of magic to some extent. While he couldn’t tell exactly what was used, he understood that several powerful spells—including defensive ones—had been cast.
“So, what about the Leviathan…?”
His voice was filled with anticipation as Ekvar answered.
“We did not manage to slay it, but using their secret techniques, we successfully drove it far away. Please confirm it for yourself.”
“Ohhh! To think that just four of you accomplished this—truly incredible! Thank you so much. I’ll contact my associates and have them search the sea just in case. As for your reward, I’ll provide it tomorrow after confirmation. If the threat is gone, we can resume fishing in the morning. Also, if it’s convenient for you, I’d like to hold a banquet in your honor tomorrow night…”
Ekvar glanced at me, as if asking what I wanted to do. So I get to decide, huh?
“Thank you very much. We’d be honored to accept. Regarding the reward, if possible, I’d like to receive not just money but also any rare materials you might have.”
“Rare materials, huh… Let’s see. We have a High-Lee magic core. You probably won’t find those in Chenkaslar.”
“I’d love to have that!”
The High-Lee magic core—said to have an ambergris-like scent—was a valuable ingredient for medicine, particularly beneficial for the digestive system. The High-Lee was a common magical creature that lived in the sea.
“Very well, I’ll provide both money and materials. That actually helps us as well. By the way, I recall you mentioning that you’re a craftsman.”
After parting ways with Sozon Clayton, we returned to the inn to rest early. He would come to invite us in the evening tomorrow.
Once fishing resumed, I could finally enjoy some fresh seafood…!
Upon returning, Rini hurried to the lobby to greet us with a worried look. For some reason, the innkeeper had given her some sweets, which she proudly showed me.
When I invited her to the banquet, she looked a little troubled. She wasn’t fond of large crowds and insisted she hadn’t done anything to deserve it. Ekvar reassured her, convincing her to at least consider joining.
Still, seafood, huh? I can’t wait!
The next day, I slept in until almost noon before heading out for lunch.
With time to spare, we decided to visit the Adventurers’ Guild. We weren’t planning to take on any requests, but it had become somewhat of a routine for Ekvar. There were quite a few requests that had already been taken, leaving several empty spaces on the board with only a few request slips remaining.
“They even post house repair requests here, huh?”
The remaining requests included various everyday troubles—almost like a handyman service. It was kind of amusing.
“…Why are you guys here, too?”
A voice called out from behind. When we turned around, we saw two familiar figures—adventurers we had previously competed against for a dragon scale collection request.
The male adventurer was Casteis, an A-rank adventurer. He had blue-gray hair tied back, navy eyes, and wore a long white vest while carrying a bow.
The female adventurer was Yvette. She had short black hair, red eyes, and wore light armor with a sword at her waist.
“It’s been a while. Glad to see you both doing well.”
I bowed my head, and the two gave a somewhat vague response.
“You don’t have to be so formal… It’s been a while.”
“We’re here on an errand. Did you guys accept a request?”
Casteis smiled wryly as Ekvar posed the question.
“We were actually in the neighboring country, but we came here for a subjugation request. This country doesn’t have a strong military, and there aren’t many high-ranking adventurers. So, they often outsource subjugation requests to other nations.”
“Oh? A subjugation. What was your target?”
At the mention of a hunt, Belial reacted immediately. No matter where we were, he always perked up at the mention of monsters. Even though we had just fought a Leviathan yesterday, I guess he still craved a flashy, decisive battle on land.
“Unfortunately for you, it’s already been taken care of. We just came to report its completion.”
Yvette waved her hand lightly.
“We wanted to take on another request while we’re here, but the timing isn’t great.”
Casteis scanned the request board while Yvette turned her gaze to us and asked,
“By the way, who are that man and the little girl?”
“I am Sebirino, my master’s apprentice,” he answered confidently.
“…I’m Rini…”
Rini, on the other hand, clung to Ekvar’s leg as if hiding.
“Rini is my familiar. Isn’t she adorable?”
“Wait, are you sure she’s not being bullied?”
As they were having this conversation, the door suddenly burst open with a loud bang, and a man rushed in, his face pale with urgency.
“Elixirs…! Is there any way to obtain an Elixirs!?”
He strode up to the counter and raised his voice.
“An Elixirs!? That’s not something easily acquired, and I have no idea how much it would even cost!”
“I know that, but I need it no matter what! How can I get one!?”
“In our country, it’s impossible… The neighboring Norsanus Empire is far more advanced in magic. You might have better luck requesting it from them…”
As the man consulted with the receptionist, I considered giving him an Elixirs myself, but Ekvar placed a hand on my shoulder and shook his head.
“Don’t, Miss Iriya . You’ll stand out too much.”
“But I have one…”
“…Not being able to ignore someone in need is part of your charm, but leave this to me.”
Saying that, Ekvar walked over to Casteis and Yvette, who were standing near the bulletin board.
“Casteis, Yvette, do you have a moment?”
“What? Sure, I guess.”
With a hint of suspicion, the two followed him outside the guild. I was curious, so I trailed behind them. Belial, on the other hand, remained seated inside the guild, as if he already knew how this would unfold.
Sebirino and Lini also stayed inside, listening to how the conversation progressed.
In the shadow of a building, away from prying eyes, Ekvar began to speak.
“Listen, would you two be willing to take on that Elixirs request? We’ll provide the Elixirs.”
“…Huh!? An Elixirs!? …Wait.”
Yvette’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden proposal. Realizing she had spoken too loudly, she leaned closer to Ekvar and lowered her voice.
“You have something like that?”
“Yeah. Not me, but Miss Iriya does. She can make them, but I’d rather not let that be widely known.”
“She can… make Elixirss? If that’s true, then it’s dangerous for someone like her to live in town so casually.”
“A walking gold mine, basically.”
Wait a second—was I in even more danger than I had considered? I had only thought about thieves trying to steal my Elixirss, but in reality, being captured and forced to make them would be far worse. Still, with Belial around, I figured I’d be safe… probably.
“That’s why I’d like you two to handle the transaction discreetly. Otherwise, she’ll probably just hand it over herself…”
“Ahh… Yeah, I can see her doing that. Alright, but we’ll take a share of the reward. That okay?”
“What do you think, Miss Iriya ?”
“Oh, you can take all of it, I don’t mind.”
Casteis and Yvette frowned for some reason, while Ekvar gave a wry smile.
“Do you even understand how valuable an Elixirs is?”
“I was told recently…”
Yvette let out an exasperated sigh, and I nodded as I looked at her.
“Then don’t just give it away so easily. Let’s split the reward evenly—how about that?”
“…Alright. But don’t charge too much, okay? He seems really desperate.”
“Got it. We’ll say we got a prototype Elixirs for cheap from a mage who wanted to test its effects.”
Casteis agreed to handle it, which put my mind at ease. I had full confidence in the Elixirs’s effectiveness, after all!
When we returned to the guild, the discussion was almost settled on sending a request to the Norsanus Empire.
At that moment, Casteis stepped forward.
“I heard someone needed an Elixirs. I happen to have a prototype from a mage—would you like to try it?”
He presented the vial of Elixirs I had given him, smiling as he spoke.
“We’re A-rank adventurers, and sometimes people we escort give us items like this to test. If it works, you can pay us afterward.”
The man’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the vial, his hands trembling.
“No way… I never imagined I’d find one so soon…!”
“You should test it first. If the missing limb doesn’t regenerate, that means it’s a failed product. In that case, we won’t charge you.”
Since Elixirss were known to restore lost body parts, frauds were common. Many desperate people paid fortunes, clinging to the slimmest hope. But if the payment was only required after seeing results, it would put their minds at ease.
“That’s… an incredibly generous offer! Please! Even if it doesn’t restore the limb, if it can at least ease the pain, I swear I’ll pay you for that much! Please, let me use it…!!”
The man bowed deeply before them, not moving for a while. Casteis and Yvette exchanged glances, then placed reassuring hands on his shoulders.
“Let’s hurry. The patient must be suffering—every second counts.”
The three of them immediately left.
Ekvar sure was good at delegating tasks. I hadn’t even thought of this approach.
The receptionist and others who had been listening sighed in relief. An adventurer standing nearby, who seemed to know the man, struck up a conversation with him.
“That was incredible luck! Maybe this is fate rewarding you for all the good you’ve done.”
“Even if we had sent a request to Norsanus, there was no guarantee we’d get one. I was about to try my luck with the merchants’ guild too, even though I knew it’d be futile…”
“Doubt they’d have one. Maybe the military would?”
The receptionist, who had been preparing to write a letter, put away his stationery.
“No chance. If something happened to him, it would have been a disaster. We officially invited him here as a magic instructor through the guild. I had no idea the person needing an Elixirs was him—nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“Let’s hope it works. Those adventurers seemed confident, and if it’s a prototype from a reputable mage, then it should be legit. A-rank adventurers are so cool…”
“Why don’t you hurry up and rank up too?”
“Come on, that’s way too hard!” They laughed together.
Apparently, the injured person was an elderly mage invited from another country to teach magic. He had lost a leg while protecting a student. Sebirino filled me in on the details. He seemed like an honorable man—I truly hoped the Elixirs would heal him so he could continue his work.
With the problem resolved, we headed back to our inn to attend a celebration.
At the banquet, there was an overwhelming spread of seafood—clam soup, shrimp gratin, grilled fish, and even sashimi! But Belial and Sebirino wouldn’t eat raw fish, so Ekvar, Lini, and I shared it instead. It was so delicious!
“You people actually eat raw fish?”
“It’s delicious! We can’t get this in Chenkaslar, so I have to savor it while I can!”
“…I like sashimi.”
Lini’s tiny bites and happy expression were adorable.
Meanwhile, Belial seemed more interested in the alcohol.
“Please, eat as much as you like! You’ve truly saved us. Since I heard you were from Egdualum, I made sure to include sashimi! People from inland regions tend to avoid raw fish, so it’s not usually served.”
“This is so fresh and delicious—it’s a shame not everyone appreciates it!”
“Exactly! I want to spread the love of sashimi across the world…!”
The host, a middle-aged man, spoke enthusiastically about the seafood and how happy he was that the sea was now safe. His assistant, Sozon Clayton, barely had a chance to get a word in.
We received our reward and split it fairly, completing the Duke’s request!
Plus, I got a High-Lee magic core! It’s common in Egdualum but impossible to find in Chenkaslar. I’ll bring it back as a souvenir for Annika and Alesia!
We decided to stay one more night and stock up on seafood before heading home.
