Chapter 703 - Fourth Story: The Birth of a Teleportation User
The day after Eleanor-sama and Beatrix got motivated, from early in the morning, in order to make arrangements for the wild boar hunt, we went around the surrounding villages and secured the cooperation of the hunters. In the current Henry Party, including the supporting Engrio soldiers, there are three bowl users. Riding together with the village hunters, each of them throws away leftovers mixed with old beans or barley, and when they've gathered, they finish them off one after another with ice and lightning from directly above. Once they've stopped moving, it's Sleep. It's once a day, but in one place, five or six were caught. Two are the hunters' share and the rest is for bait. In that way, we set up a system to gather bait.
Once the bait is gathered, it's easy. Taking advantage of the fact that the opponent doesn't attack, we start moving at a fixed time every day. Since we're doing wild boar gathering in the morning, the bait time was set for the afternoon.
We line up five wild boars near the tower's exit. After cutting the neck of one, when we let the smell of blood flow further in with wind magic, the New Model appears. While the New Model is eating, we go to the labyrinth, apply Mute to silence the sound, and do civil engineering work.
Regarding the civil engineering work, it's the specialty genre of Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama. After silencing the sound with Mute, according to the instructions of the two, Beatrix shaves with Curve, breaks with Crevasse, and turns it into rubble with Colossus Collapse. Since the New Model Behemoth might get angry if we do it too flashily, we do it quietly. Fortunately, because the New Model Behemoth's eating pace is slow, we made quite a bit of progress.
As for the New Model, since Bonnie is keeping watch, contact comes when about half of the last one has been eaten. When that happens, we stop the work and wait in a place where the New Model's figure can be seen. After seeing off the New Model, which is glancing this way after finishing eating, the day's work ends.
Even though it's a labyrinth, if we advance the destruction, it's just a vacant lot. Currently, we've made a square in a place a bit further in, and from there, we're making a passage that turns at a right angle to the right when seen from the tower connected to the third layer. The passage turns at a right angle to the left midway. The destination is the right side of the narrow passage where the New Model is. Since the New Model is always in the middle of the passage, it might be under the floor. We'll end up digging a quite long hole, but if the magic stone is found and removed, weakening the New Model might be possible.
"But you know, if there's such a large magic stone, won't our brains break if we dig it out?"
It's as Beatrix says. I was also curious about that. Probably, the Engrio ultra-high-level mages and priests should have noticed too.
"How about it?"
Eleanor-sama asks the ultra-high-level mage.
"We ultra-high-level ones should be able to tell with magic detection. If it is of a dangerous density, even more so, I think it is possible to perceive it in advance if we approach the place where it is thought to be buried."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. I think it's fine. Up to the point of finding it, there's no problem."
Up to the point of finding it means it's probably tough when digging it out.
"Jeanne. With the spear you make with light magic, could you not shatter the magic stone?"
I see. Eleanor-sama must be talking about the time at the Earth Dragon's training ground. With Keira's advice, the magic stone certainly shattered.
"Then it's easy. If it comes to that, shall we prepare iron gauntlets?"
The Vice-Captain agreed, and the countermeasure for the magic stone was also decided.
"By the way, what happens to the share of the magic stone? That's not the gain from defeating the Behemoth, right?"
The sharp-eyed mage is showing greed. I don't know what kind of size will be obtained, but it should be worth quite a bit.
"Regarding that, I have confirmed with King Seldic."
Eleanor-sama is also sharp-eyed.
"He says half will go into the national treasury. In other words, half is ours."
"Yay! As expected of the King of a large country. He's generous, isn't he?"
At Beatrix's words, the Vice-Captain breaks into a smile.
"It will be split per head among those who participated in this special mission. However, it will be paid in the monetary equivalent of the magic stone's value. In addition, for the Engrio soldiers including the Vice-Captain, it will be paid in the form of a special reward, and for the church priests, it will be paid in the form of a donation."
"Oh!" a voice rose from Beatrix and the Engrio ultra-high-level mage. The Vice-Captain seemed to have known, and is just grinning. The church priests expressed their gratitude and offered prayers to the Goddess.
By the way, when I asked what would happen to the share of the Henry Party, which has become a private organization, it seems it doesn't change. The organization they belong to has left the state, but for example, Will is receiving a salary as Eleanor-sama's direct subordinate. The logic seems to be that if she receives the Henry Party's share on top of that, it would be double dipping. I think, 'is that how it is?', but as a result, I'm grateful that my own share increases. Everyone thinks it will be a quite expensive compensation. It's because they're anticipating a large one. It's counting chickens before they hatch, but it shouldn't be as little as a few gold coins per person. It'll be a good earning.
Beatrix, who was suddenly motivated, shaved the walls of the labyrinth with Curve. The opponent is a labyrinth. There are many walls. Even if you collapse one, you can't dig very far. It's because there are only two people using Crevasse or Colossus Collapse. In that respect, Curve is mid-level, and since Beatrix, who practically has ultra-high-level class magic control, fires it, she can fire many. She shaved the parts that would become the key as instructed by Henry-sama. In some cases, there were places collapsed by a single swing from Henry-sama or Will.
Using Curve in the morning and afternoon, at night she drew Light magic circles for the soldiers working hard in the third layer and Teleport magic circles for transporting wild boars, together with Eleanor-sama and me. I'm acting as the illumination for the civil engineering work, so I'm just illuminating for two hours. To that extent, I was able to put magic into many Light scrolls.
It was one night when we were spending our days like that. While the three of us including Eleanor-sama were drawing magic circles, Beatrix suddenly went "Ah!" and stopped her hand from drawing.
"Is something wrong?"
Did she think of something, or remember something?
"I've got it!"
Got it? Could it be, the location of the magic stone?
"That's not it. It's Trade."
"Did you learn it!"
Eleanor-sama bit on the topic.
Come to think of it, there was something like that.
Trade is the basic level of the movement-type magic represented by the mid-level Teleport. In the revelation, or rather, almost no one uses the high-level Translate, and as for the basic Trade, which is limited to magic circles, I've never seen it.
"Um, it goes like this, and like this, and here is..."
Beatrix is drawing a magic circle I've never seen. It really just pops into her head suddenly.
"Done!"
Since she said it's done, when I look, there are two magic circles of a kind I don't really understand. They must be a pair.
"Splendid! With this, Beatrix is also a Teleport user, isn't she?"
"Yay!"
The two of them are rejoicing, but I don't understand at all. What kind of magic circle is it?
"You don't understand, do you?"
"Yeah. Not at all."
"That's natural. Because I just drew it as it came to me, after all."
"Now look here..."
What on earth is she thinking. Really.
"That is fine. That is why it cannot be taught by others."
"Eh?"
What is that. Is there such a magic circle?
"Look, watch."
"That magic circle?"
"Yeah. This. I'll try activating it."
I don't understand well, but for now, I'll watch. Beatrix took one onto the bed and placed a pen on the magic circle on the table.
"Trade!"
The pen disappeared! At the same time, the magic circle turned pitch black.
When I look at the magic circle on the bed, as I thought, it's pitch black and the pen is on it.
"Ah!"
"See. I learned it, didn't I?"
She really did it!
"Finally, a Teleport user has been born in the Class of 175 as well."
"With this, my salary will go up again. Teleport is expensive, you know. Ah, but since Marcelo-san also uses it, I might not be allowed to participate in scroll making. Well, if I can do the ones used in the village where I'm a landowner myself, the expenses will be saved quite a bit and it'll cancel out, so it's fine."
"Make sure to report properly to Mayor Adolf and the Lord."
"Oka—y. I'll tell Marcelo-san when I get back."
I heard that you don't learn Trade unless you draw scrolls including Teleport like crazy. She worked that hard.
"Isn't that amazing!"
"Well, yeah. Because I worked quite hard, after all. Anyway, during the war, there were times when I spent all day drawing scrolls. That foundation is large."
Certainly, her drawing one is much faster compared to me. Her circles and lines aren't as accurate as Angelica-san's, but they are accurate.
"Shall we open a shop in the Royal Capital soon?"
It's Eleanor-sama. If it's advice from a former Queen, it might work.
"We have a Class of 175 shop. For now, we're putting out a few scrolls too. Though they aren't selling much."
"That is a shop for girls, isn't it? It is not that, but a magic tool shop. Since the customer base will be different, I think it is better to have separate stores."
"Hmm," she folded her arms. In Beatrix's case, there's the second shop. It's not in the Royal Capital, but she handles various things including scroll making. Most of all, the village has become a place for young mages of Regnentes to train. Thanks to that, various magic tools exported by the Marcelo Company are also selling. Of course, the second shop also gets sales.
"There's no shop manager."
"Is joint operation with local people not an option, like the fifth shop on Vectis Island? For the initial checks, would Mary not do? If Mary is busy, then Wilhelmina or Bonnie, oh yes, Matilda also comes to the Royal Capital once a month."
"But I don't have connections with magic tool shops in the Royal Capital."
While saying so, she's looking at Eleanor-sama with an upward glance. She's a former Queen and former magic corps commander. She must be full of connections. If she can introduce someone, there's nothing more to say.
"How about magic soldiers who have retired from active duty due to injury, as a measure for people in financial difficulty? The royal family will guarantee their identity."
"But I might not be able to make that many scrolls."
"Teleport alone will be enough of an earning."
"There are regulations for that, aren't there?"
"That is exactly why. Because the buyers are the national army and the royal palace. They will surely sell."
I see. Beatrix can use a full set of high-level elemental magic. She can also make scrolls.
"Ah! I get it. You want to monopolize it, don't you?"
"Naturally."
Eleanor-sama's serious face is a bit scary.
Eleanor-sama says that Teleport, which is a mid-level movement magic, is learned through revelation, but those who learn Trade almost certainly learn it. And those who receive the revelation are immediately reported to the local lord or such. This is the same in any country, and in the case of Nakanohara, it's reported to the Mayor.
"As you probably know, Teleport users are registered with the royal family. And the unauthorized sale of magic circles is not allowed. It is by permit. By the way, the use of magic circles is also by permit."
Violators are severely punished. At worst, they are framed for treason and executed. Teleport can infiltrate anywhere as long as a magic circle can be installed. Every country strictly regulates it, fearing the assassination of important people or the leakage of secrets. However, moving directly by sight is fine as self-responsibility. Though, it's a different story if you're found in a foreign country. It's fine if you can escape successfully, but you'll be caught and buried in the darkness. Though, precious Teleport users are also targets of protection for each country, and in that sense as well, they are registered.
"If you sign an exclusive contract with the royal family, a certain number of scrolls will surely sell every week."
She put strength into the word "surely."
"Teleport is normally a fixed type and used as a magic circle for round trips. Do you know how much that magic circle costs?"
Even one for three people drawn on a large parchment is one gold coin. In Beatrix's case, since she can carve magic circles into wooden boards or stone slabs with Curve, she can also draw even more expensive ones. As for those for sending letters, since numbers are needed, the demand is high. Considering the necessary expenses, it'll be a huge profit.
"If you are in Nakanohara, it will be a competition with Marcelo. If it is the Royal Capital, there will be no competition. More than that, currently there are no users in private magic tool shops. It is literally a monopoly."
Conversely, since the sales partners are limited to those who have obtained permission from the royal family, they are limited.
Currently, there are two users in Nakanohara. Adolf-san and Marcelo-san. This is apparently an extremely rare case considering the population ratio. For example, even in the Royal Capital area, there are only three users. Eleanor-sama the former Queen, Evans-sama the National Chancellor, and one mage belonging to the magic corps, all of whom are important people belonging to the Kingdom. By the way, in the Eastern Plains, there is only one mage belonging to the Eastern Plains Corps, and there are none in the Western Plains or the Coastal Plains.
"In short, currently, six people are managing the Teleport connecting the Kingdom's army garrisons and the magic circles for sending letters."
That's certainly tough. No wonder there are few places where they are installed.
"I am already at this age. I do not have long. The training of successors is urgent. In your generation, Beatrix is the first."
Apparently, young people these days don't simply keep drawing magic circles. Priests are priests, and since they don't sell movement-type ones, they are only drawing holy magic. Marcelo-san must be an oddball. In that respect, Beatrix is a mage, but since she was little, she was doing training together with me. She can draw while being empty-minded.
Furthermore, Eleanor-sama says that she has been entering the cave with dense magic power every day lately. To that extent, there's a possibility that her awakening was accelerated. Normally, you learn it if you keep drawing magic circles until your head goes strange and you keep drawing in a state where you can't think of anything. The ones who do that kind of thing, both in the past and now, would only be the army or the church. I don't think generation has anything to do with it.
"For now, I'll try consulting with Marcelo-san and Mary."
"I'm counting on you."
"Right. Can I ask for just one thing?"
"What is it?"
"If we're going to open a shop, we'll need rent, right? At minimum, could you make it so that the rent and labor costs can be covered by orders from the royal family?"
"I think it can be fully covered. Since I'm thinking of entrusting you with places that are not currently connected, that alone should be enough to pay the rent on the main street of the Royal Capital and the labor costs for two people."
Main street! If it's a shop there, order sales will be the main thing rather than over-the-counter sales. If it's a purveyor to the royal family, even more so. Not only the basic and mid-level scrolls that sell well, but there will also be demand for high-level magic. If so, it won't compete with Marcelo-san.
"Understood. It's a positive consideration."
Finally, Beatrix's dream will come true. She's pretending to grin, but it feels like her eyes are moist.