Chapter 7 Part 1
“By doing so, even wizards with weaker magic could demonstrate their abilities.”
The less magic one had, the easier it was to control. If applied delicately to a weapon, they could fight on the front lines.
Ibarena nodded at Elia’s words.
“Indeed, it’s very effective. Until now, all wizards have been relegated to the rear.”
The more powerful the magic, the longer it took to cast.
If the front lines were breached, wizards preparing an absolute strike were as good as dead.
Ibarena’s gaze grew serious.
“So this is what the new position is about.”
It was a proposal Elia had mentioned to summon the tower’s manager.
“I hope you will gather and train the talents expelled from the tower. All support will come from the north.”
It meant to call them to Mahart.
Unlike the tower lord, a manager had the authority to move from the tower.
If significant results were obtained there, even the tower lord would have to acknowledge the new department.
In terms of magic, the tower lord was superior, but Ibarena had a comparable talent for moving people.
“I’ll do it.”
Elia and Ibarena shook hands.
The recruitment of talent to prepare for the upcoming disaster was complete.
* * *
Elia’s salon started receiving customers the next day.
Special magical artifacts were only commissioned selectively and limitedly, but other Sapphian sculptures began to be sold separately.
‘Attracting people’s attention is important too.’
For this purpose, Elia devised a clever strategy.
Ultimately, the most meaningful items were the magical artifacts.
There were ten types of animal statues in total, and collecting all of them allowed one to commission a magical Sapphian artifact.
Orders poured in endlessly, but the number accepted per day was limited.
To prevent black market dealings, each animal statue was inscribed with the name of the customer.
‘Everything is good, but…’
The business was successful, but there was one problem.
After business hours, Popetcherian crawled out from behind the salon, leaning against the wall.
“I’m truly… happy, but at this rate, I might die.”
Orders kept coming in, but there was only one craftsman.
‘No matter how custom-made, there aren’t enough people to make them.’
Reducing the order volume from the outset was difficult for a newly opened business.
It wasn’t that Elia hadn’t considered this issue. She handed a cold drink to Popetcherian.
“Popetcherian, do you like teaching?”
“Teaching… I don’t know, I’ve never done it before.”
Understandably so, as Popetcherian had been scorned as incompetent all his life and had never dreamed of teaching others.
“I think you’d be good at it. Lady Ibarena visited recently. She said it would be nice to have more craftsmen like you.”
“Lady Ibarena… isn’t she the manager of the tower?”
Although expelled from the tower, his respect for high-ranking wizards remained.
At the unexpected praise, Popetcherian’s eyes sparkled. Elia smiled and got to the point.
“The truth is, there are some wizards at risk of being expelled from the tower. Lady Ibarena said she would send those with exceptional skills here.”
“Then… teaching them…”
His voice trembled as if he couldn’t believe it.
Elia smiled warmly, giving him confidence.
“Popetcherian, you will be their teacher.”
“A teacher…”
A life he had never dreamed of was now approaching Popetcherian.
“Oh, by the way, Lady Ibarena said that if you accept these wizards, your contribution will be acknowledged, and you’ll be reinstated in the tower.”
Actually, Popetcherian hadn’t completely given up. He had only turned away from reality due to the sorrow of never being recognized as a wizard again.
Returning to the tower had always been his lifelong desire.
“Thank you… I’ll work hard!”
“Don’t overdo it. I can’t have my only craftsman collapsing.”
Popetcherian looked like he was about to cry.
“Thank you for believing in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself, my lady.”
“I merely saw the potential in you, Popetcherian.”
He deserved the credit for accepting that potential and working hard.
It wasn’t just Popetcherian who benefited.
Elia also gained strength from seeing him happy.
‘I’ve gained an ally.’
Trust was more important than material wealth.
In that sense, the business was a great success.
* * *
It was late at night.
Elia sat at her desk, holding a quill.
Through this business, she had been able to meet many influential people.
As a princess and the young lady of Mahart, she could have formed connections based on her status, but that was only Elia’s background; she couldn’t truly attract people without showing her own value.
‘How many of these people will trust my words?’
Elia listed the names of her contacts on a blank sheet. Her goal was to delve into these connections and derive greater value.
‘First, I need to earn their trust.’
She had to prepare before the monsters ran rampant.
Contacts who could act in the most dangerous moments were essential.
Elia chewed on the end of her pen.
‘In that regard, there’s no guild like Valunize.’
Valunize was an information guild but could provide force if requested.
However, it was uncertain to what extent Valunize would accept her commission.
‘I must be cautious. Information could leak to others.’
In that sense, Valunize was a double-edged sword.
They accepted commissions, but that didn’t mean they would follow her orders completely.
‘Come to think of it, Valunize didn’t participate in monster hunting in the past.’
Elia recalled the past.
While they had decisively told the protagonist the location of the Sun Sword, they hadn’t provided any special support beyond that.
‘Why? Valunize must have suffered damage too.’
Monsters appeared all over the empire, and many must have requested Valunize’s help.
But there were no stories of Valunize providing aid.
This part was hard to understand.
There was one more thing that bothered her.
‘Sharon.’
The protagonist she met at the Cherry Blossom Banquet.
She was supposed to appear much later.
Moreover, the prophecy of a saintess appearing was made by Parmeo, not the temple.
‘The temple hasn’t reacted yet.’
The Temple of Light had shown no special reaction to Parmeo’s prophecy.
‘And Sharon…’
She had behaved as if she knew something, which was unsettling.
Elia’s pen paused. A knock sounded from beyond the door.
“Come in.”
It was Aksion who entered.
He had returned from the northern stronghold of Mahart, having received an urgent message three days ago.
“You’re working late.”
The breeze still clung to his coat, indicating he had just returned.
Seeing him cleared her mind. Elia put down her quill and sat at the table.
“There are many details to attend to, being my first business.”
“You’ll do well, Elia.”
“Thanks to your help, Aksion.”
Elia brewed tea for him.
The warm green tea filled the room with a pleasant aroma.
“How was the stronghold?”
His hand paused as he held the cup. After a sip, he spoke.
“Hmm… I attended the elders’ meeting.”
From what Elia observed, Mahart’s power was divided into three factions.
One followed Duke Tartan, another was Aksion’s Silver Knights, and the third was the elders who held shares in the Order of Gems.
‘The elders didn’t acknowledge Aksion.’
In the past, Aksion had suffered without recognition from anyone.
“It must have been tiring.”
“A bit.”
Noting the dark circles under his eyes, Elia felt concerned.
‘Meeting people who reject you is exhausting.’
She understood that feeling well, making her worry more for him.
