I Quit Being a Court Magician Apprentice to Become a Magical Item Craftsman
We departed from the maritime nation of Gurujis and stopped by the duke’s residence in the royal capital of Chenkaslar to report the success of our mission. It seemed our return was earlier than expected, and the butler could not hide his surprise upon seeing us.
“The monster was a Leviathan. We did not manage to defeat it, but we successfully drove it away with magic, so it should not return.”
Eqavar explained to His Grace, the Duke. He was good at these kinds of things, which was a relief.
“As expected of the court of Egdualum! Now, allow me to share our findings as well. Proceed.”
At his prompt, the chamberlain opened the report.
“First, regarding the demon of Tranchinel. Its noble status is unknown, but it appears to be quite a dangerous entity. A town where a spy sent by the Duchy of Fen was hiding was attacked, and the spy barely escaped. Some towns have been completely destroyed, and there are rumors that the king has already passed away. However, this remains speculation.”
He’s probably dead… If he was the one who issued the summoning command, he would have been a prime target for vengeance.
“At present, no neighboring nations have suffered any damage. The destruction is concentrated in the northern regions of Tranchinel. The reason is unknown. Some witnesses claim to have seen the summoner who called forth the demon traveling alongside it, but they appeared to be in a daze, utterly exhausted. It seems they are being forced to witness the tragedy unfold against their will…”
“Hm.”
Everyone listened in silence to the grim report.
Belial nodded and then spoke.
“Kimejes, you shall go as an envoy and meet this demon.”
“…Huh!?”
Kimejes, a marquis-ranked demon, was caught completely off guard by the sudden order.
“There is no need to worry. Simply state that you are a messenger of Lord Lucifer. You will not be attacked. Lord Lucifer himself has tasked me with overseeing this matter, so it will not pose a problem. You need not be concerned.”
“…Understood. But what exactly should I convey?”
“Tell it that it is time to return to Hell.”
“As you command.”
There was no way he could refuse. I felt a little sorry for him, but perhaps there was a reason Belial could not go himself. He seemed to know something about the demon summoned in Tranchinel but refused to share.
“Oh, if the demon leaves, that would be a great relief! We’ve been dreading the possibility of further destruction!”
Despite the distance, the duke had clearly been anxious. He let out a long sigh of relief.
Kimejes was here, but it was hard to tell who ranked higher in status. Regardless, having one’s country attacked would be troublesome for anyone.
That said, based on the information so far, the demon of Tranchinel must be of a rank higher than the duke. Could it be… that they actually managed to summon a king?
Kimejes really got stuck with a tough job.
Since we were already in the royal capital, I decided to drop by Annika’s shop.
It was located on the outskirts of the commercial district, next to a small privately run café, with a house across a narrow alley. That house was currently vacant. Since the royal capital was a bustling place, properties saw a lot of turnover.
Her shop was a small store combined with a residence, even smaller than my house, with shelves stocked with goods. The living quarters were on the second floor, and she grew herbs on her balcony and in the backyard. The café next door kept two chickens in its garden—perhaps for fresh eggs?
As a solo artisan selling medicines and magical items, Annika only operated in the mornings, with irregular days off. Afternoons were spent crafting or gathering materials, sometimes requiring her to close for days at a time. Without flight magic, traveling took up a lot of time. Most small magic item shops like hers operated in a similar fashion.
Now that Shemihaza was around, Annika could minimize her days off. It was already the afternoon, so the shop was closed, but I called out anyway.
“Annika, are you there? It’s Iriya .”
“…Professor! Welcome! You’re back early. I thought the mission was dangerous…”
She had been organizing the shelves but quickly opened the door.
The wooden shelves were neatly arranged with medicines, and there was a selection of herbal teas as well.
With the five of us stepping inside, the shop felt rather cramped.
Annika led us to a small consultation room at the back. There were four chairs, so I sat with Belial , Eqavar, and Rini. Annika brewed some of her handmade herbal tea while I recounted the mission. She looked astonished when I mentioned that the monster was a Leviathan.
“…I can’t believe you managed to drive it away. Belial , isn’t the sea your weakness?”
Shemihaza commented with admiration, seemingly familiar with Belial ’s fighting style.
“We could have handled it with more time, but its sheer size made the sea turbulent. Just as we were considering our next move, Tiamat appeared.”
“What a mess.”
Shemihaza seemed to recognize the name Tiamat.
I recalled her majestic form and spoke excitedly.
“She was an incredibly stunning woman! Her presence was overwhelming and powerful. She said her son was in our debt, so she held back Leviathan while Sevillino and I worked together to cast a spell.”
“You actually spoke to her…? I was trembling from her sheer aura…”
Eqavar, for some reason, gave a wry smile. He was usually the one to shower women with compliments.
“…Belial .”
“You need not say it.”
“Isn’t your contractor a bit strange? They’re human, right…?”
It was Belial who ended up owing a favor to Kingu!
Next, I asked Annika about how her shop was doing.
Since reopening, her regular customers had started coming back, and for now, things seemed to be running as usual. She seemed to be getting along well with Shemihaza, who was teaching her magic. Not only was she selling items, but she had also started practicing healing magic. She already knew some basic spells, but she never felt confident enough to charge for them. Now, she wanted to improve her skills so she could help treat people properly.
“The leftover medicine is bought by the shop where I used to work. Sometimes, they don’t have enough to meet demand. If that doesn’t work out, I can always take them to the commercial guild.”
“Make sure to continue improving yourself. Do not bring shame upon your master’s name.”
“Yes, Senior Sevillino!”
It seemed like things were going well for her. She was determined to take on even more difficult potions in the future.
…But still, this exchange between Annika and Sevillino… isn’t it a little odd?
When I returned home, we had a visitor.
To my surprise, it was Boethius, a demon. Because of Belial , he had ended up living in the Elven forest. He had deep blue eyes, like lapis lazuli, and held the rank of Count.
“It has been a while, Lord Belial . Today, I have a matter to discuss with your contractor.”
He was stiff. He seemed incredibly nervous. I supposed that, as a Count in Hell, he didn’t have many chances to speak directly with a king.
Belial sat beside me, while Equvar stood near the sofa. Sevillino went off to put away ingredients and supplies, and Rini returned to Equvar ‘s room on the second floor.
“You may speak,” Belial said.
“Yes. Recently, the Elven village has begun interacting with nearby human towns. While doing so, we learned of several unresolved cases of missing persons—both humans and elves.”
That area was part of the territory of Balenn, a city-state. The closest town to the Elven forest was Dargo.
Since it wasn’t a unified country, the towns had weak cooperation, making it easy for bandits to operate in the shadows. Kidnappings were especially common.
“It seems they were abducted and sold to another country. The humans have begun working together to strengthen their networks and crack down on these criminals. They even managed to track down the whereabouts of some of the victims.”
It was unclear how many had been found, but at least there was hope.
“A human guide and my contracted elf, Justus, went to investigate the location. Justus was able to confirm that elves from his village were there. However…”
Sevillino returned with tea, placing a cup in front of everyone.
Boethius hesitated before taking a sip, then continued.
“Their condition was strange. It wasn’t due to magic, but they seemed devoid of life. It was as if they had been drugged, their will stolen, and they were being forced to obey orders.”
“…This is terrible. We must act as soon as possible!”
“I agree. From what I have observed, you are an esteemed mage. I was hoping you could introduce me to someone knowledgeable about magical artifacts.”
…Wait. Didn’t he come to ask for my help? Was I not good enough?
“Are your eyes blind? This girl has been educated by my subordinate, Clauzel. Her knowledge is by no means inferior to that of any ordinary human.”
Belial let out an exaggerated sigh, and Boethius quickly turned to face me, bowing his head. That wasn’t necessary!
“My deepest apologies! You are so young that I mistakenly thought you might not be suited for this matter…”
“For now, let’s head there together. Where is this place?”
“It is a country called Nijestonia.”
Upon hearing the name, Equvar ’s expression stiffened slightly. He seemed to know something—probably something bad.
“It is not a particularly safe country. In some regions, slave uprisings and anti-slavery movements have clashed with the military, leaving public services in disarray. The area we are heading to is peaceful for now, but please, do not wander off alone.”
“Understood. It sounds like a dangerous place.”
“It is certainly more dangerous than Chenkaslar. The surrounding nations have condemned their slavery practices, and those caught in human trafficking have led to sanctions from affected countries. It seems they are finally being pressured to change.”
I had heard of such places, but I never expected to visit one myself. I didn’t want to see slavery firsthand.
Even in the lands around Egdualum, there were lower-class citizens, but they were treated more humanely. Open abduction and trafficking weren’t tolerated.
But still… why was Boethius speaking to me with the same deferential attitude he used toward Belial ?
In any case, we decided to leave at dawn.
I’d been away from home so often lately, but it couldn’t be helped. I spent the evening brewing potions and planned to deliver them early in the morning before our departure.
