Chapter 318 : Chapter 318
Chapter 318. A New Laborer at the Mage Tower (1)
SHHHHH.
Rain poured down like madness.
A candlelit room.
Two people were seated inside.
A man with neatly groomed facial hair tapped the table with his fingertips and spoke.
“My head is splitting.”
Gaspen Augustus.
He was currently plagued by a severe headache.
“No matter how much I look, there is no one suitable left.”
His position was that of laborer manager at the Mage Tower.
Within the Mage Tower, where magicians devoted themselves to research, he oversaw the laborers who handled all manner of menial tasks.
Today was the annual recruitment day for new laborers.
His assistant, a lower-ranking mage, spoke.
“I think we should stop here. The rain is getting worse, and if we delay any longer, returning to the Mage Tower will become difficult.”
“If only we had just one more…….”
Preferably a sharp one.
Gaspen smacked his lips.
The more laborers, the better.
The heart of the Mage Tower was the magicians, but what actually kept it running was the laborers.
Cleaning laboratories, preparing magicians’ meals, gathering materials, doing laundry.
Without laborers, the Mage Tower would grind to a halt.
Magicians were infamous for their lack of basic life skills.
Mage Tower magicians, in particular, were beyond saving.
‘They cannot even boil a single egg with their own hands.’
Gaspen knew all too well how bad the magicians of the Mage Tower were.
That was because he himself was one of the rare cases—a magician who had once been a laborer at the Mage Tower.
The Mage Tower.
Also known as the Ivory Tower.
A cradle of magicians that had existed long before the Academy was founded.
While the Magic Academy had played a major role in the Cretian Empire’s dazzling development, the Mage Tower’s contributions could not be overlooked.
Due to its closed-off nature, the Mage Tower rarely interacted with the outside world.
Even so, it published more academic papers each year than any other institution in the magical world.
It also consistently sent candidates to the Imperial Magician Qualification Exam and maintained regular exchanges with the Imperial Court Magicians.
However, exchange did not mean access.
Outsiders were never allowed inside the Mage Tower.
The Mage Tower was a place forbidden to those without Magic Power.
Among the Empire’s many magical institutions, the Mage Tower alone strictly barred ordinary people from entry.
As a result, recruiting laborers was no easy task.
‘There are only two ways to enter the Mage Tower.’
Either become a disciple of a Mage Tower magician, or enter as a laborer.
Gaspen’s gaze shifted to a notice posted on the wall.
A recruitment notice written in magic.
It read, in letters visible only to those with Magic Power:
‘Mage Tower laborers wanted. Room and board provided. Preference given to those skilled in cleaning, laundry, and cooking.’
That was when it happened.
CLACK.
The sound of someone grabbing and twisting the doorknob echoed through the room.
Gaspen and his assistant exchanged looks.
“A new applicant?”
“Seems so.”
Both men focused on the doorknob with tense expressions.
The knob was enchanted so that it could only be turned by someone with at least a trace of Magic Power.
If the closed door opened, it meant the person possessed enough Magic Power to enter the Mage Tower.
“Do you think it will open?”
“At the very least, they must have seen the notice. There is a chance.”
They held their breath and watched.
CLACK, CLACK.
At first, it seemed as though the knob was turning, but soon a rough sound followed.
CLATTER, CLATTER, CLATTER, CLUNK, CLATTER, CLATTER, CLATTER.
As time passed, the two men began to feel uneasy.
Perhaps because of the rain, a chilling air seemed to seep through the dim room.
SHHHHH!
The rain grew fiercer.
And from the doorknob came an unsettling sound.
CLATTER, CREEEAK, CREAAAK, CLUNK, CREEEK, CREEEKKK!
Even if the door would not open, was there really a need to cling to it so obsessively?
Gaspen swallowed dryly.
CRACK!
Thunder rumbled outside the window.
Mixed in with the sound of rain was something incomprehensible.
“Heehee, heeheehee!”
Someone was definitely laughing.
Why would someone laugh while opening a door……?
The color drained from both men’s faces.
“Heehee! Hihihihi!”
Was it the wind, or a sound leaking from beyond the door?
The strange noise did not stop.
For a brief moment, they even hoped the door would not open.
CREEEK!
Just as both men were thoroughly terrified, the door opened without warning.
BANG!
“Eek!”
“Aaah!”
Gaspen and his assistant screamed despite themselves.
At the same time, lightning flashed outside.
FLASH!
Thud, thud.
A suspicious figure walked into the room, holding a torn-off doorknob in his hand.
With the lightning striking behind him, the hand gripping the knob looked particularly ominous.
As the two men stood frozen, the newcomer bowed his head politely.
“Good day. I heard you were hiring laborers, so I came.”
Then, in an even, calm voice, he continued.
“But it seems I used too much strength while opening the door and broke the doorknob. I apologize.”
“Y-You…… putting that aside, did you not make a strange noise just now?”
“A strange noise?”
“Th-The laughter!”
The man merely blinked, as though he had no idea what they were talking about.
“I am not sure. Perhaps it was the wind? At the very least, it was not me.”
He was astonishingly composed.
Seeing his calm demeanor, Gaspen gradually settled down as well.
Now that he looked closely, the applicant had a fairly decent appearance.
A youthful face, a book tucked under his arm, ordinary brown eyes, and dark blond hair.
A face that seemed familiar, yet not quite.
If not for his plain clothing, one might even have thought he carried an air of refinement.
‘Then again, why would a noble’s child come all the way here to become a Mage Tower laborer? I am getting ahead of myself.’
Gaspen forced a wry smile and brushed aside the thought.
At that moment, his assistant whispered to him.
“Sir Gaspen. Something feels off. Those sounds earlier, for one. And he did not open the doorknob—he tore it off. I question whether he truly has Magic Power.”
“That is true.”
Deciding to examine the applicant properly, Gaspen pointed at the notice.
“Read what is written there.”
“‘Mage Tower laborers wanted. Room and board provided. Preference given to those skilled in cleaning, laundry, and cooking,’ it says.”
The applicant read the notice smoothly, without the slightest hesitation.
A scan spell detected faint Magic Power as well.
“With Magic Power this weak, it is impressive that you can even see the letters.”
“He must have been born with excellent mana control. With that level of talent, perhaps he should have been taken in as a disciple rather than a laborer. If only he had more Magic Power, his life might have turned out differently. What a pity.”
The applicant’s Magic Power was so low that it barely met the minimum requirement even for a Mage Tower laborer.
Gaspen smacked his lips inwardly, feeling a twinge of regret.
“You never know. If he works here, he might encounter a fortunate opportunity.”
“If he manages to catch the interest of one of the mad eccentric magicians. But that is hardly easy.”
Should he hire him, or not?
Sensing Gaspen’s hesitation, the applicant suddenly spoke up.
“I am confident in cleaning, laundry, and cooking. I am also good at pulling weeds.”
He then spread his palm to show them.
Even Gaspen, himself a former Mage Tower laborer, had never seen calluses that hard.
“Those hands…… where are you from?”
“You likely would not recognize the place. It is a very rural territory.”
From the countryside?
Gaspen found himself staring at the applicant as if entranced.
Even among laborer applicants, most were from cities.
As a result, training them often took a long time.
New laborers thought serving magicians would not be difficult, but reality was different.
More than half of all magical beast corpses captured in the Empire flowed into the Mage Tower.
They were used as research materials by the magicians.
From sorting them to dissecting them, everything passed through the laborers’ hands.
Hearing that the applicant was from the countryside, and seeing those calluses, it was only natural that Gaspen’s resolve wavered.
“Then have you ever handled live animals…… or the like?”
“Preparation and processing are not a problem.”
This was talent that required no training.
Gaspen’s eyes gleamed.
***
‘I almost failed.’
Radel quietly let out a breath of relief.
There had been many close calls, but he had somehow succeeded in being hired as a Mage Tower laborer.
The most dangerous moment had been the in-depth interview.
During the interview, a lie detector was brought out.
It was a magical tool developed by the Mage Tower that activated instantly if the subject told a lie.
It was an essential hurdle meant to filter out those who sought to sneak into the Mage Tower to steal research成果 or magical tools.
For Radel, who had to conceal his identity, it was the greatest obstacle.
“What is your purpose in coming here?”
“I wanted to work at the Mage Tower. They provide room and board, and the place I was staying collapsed recently due to an accident…….”
“What about your family?”
“My mother passed away when I was young, and I have one younger sibling. Ah, do I need to mention my half-siblings as well?”
Gaspen and his assistant exchanged subtle looks as they listened.
Just hearing it, one could guess the applicant’s complicated family background.
“Then your father……?”
“My father is in good health. My other mothers are doing well too.”
At the applicant’s almost cheerful response, Gaspen was left speechless.
‘Other mothers?’
Was it because he was from the countryside……?
Even by generous standards, the father’s womanizing sounded excessive.
Yet there was not a shadow of bitterness on Radel’s face.
“C-Cough. I see.”
Confirming that the lie detector remained silent, Gaspen grew even more solemn.
With his mother gone early and such a family environment, life must have been harsh.
It was no wonder he had fled the countryside and applied to become a Mage Tower laborer.
Thus, the interview ended in an unexpectedly somber atmosphere.
And there was someone who had observed everything alongside Radel.
-You little brat, at least wipe your mouth before you lie!
It was the Spirit of the Library.
Hiding its true form, it was disguised as an ordinary book.
It was assisting its contractor in infiltrating the Mage Tower.
“Me? I did not lie.”
-Your place collapsed in an accident? And you are from the countryside?
“The Academy is under repair right now, so that is true. And Raviedel is indeed rural.”
-As if!
The Spirit of the Library snorted.
Radel was so smooth that it almost fell for it.
It was true that the Academy had been destroyed.
A dragon had appeared and caused utter havoc.
And the very one responsible for cleaning up that mess was right here.
Not at the Academy, not at the Imperial Capital, but in a completely unexpected place.
-You should have just stayed at the temple. Your body is not even in good shape. Honestly…… if you had failed the interview, we could have just left! Instead, I have to stay like a book and cannot even speak freely…… tch!
As the Spirit of the Library grumbled, Radel shrugged.
“Considering that, you were laughing quite hard earlier.”
-What was I supposed to do? Watching a so-called Dragon Slayer fail to open a mere doorknob—was I supposed to hold it in? Khahaha!
In the first place, Radel had been continuously summoning the Spirit of the Library to keep his Magic Power low.
If he wanted to enter as a laborer without raising suspicion, the lower his Magic Power measured, the better.
The Spirit of the Library knew this well, yet it could not help bursting into laughter at Radel’s struggle.
As it recalled that moment and snickered, a loud voice rang out from ahead.
“New hires, get on the boat, quickly!”
A vessel waiting to carry the Mage Tower’s new laborers stood ready.