Chapter 13: Chapter 12: I Will Learn How to Work!

“Eli, Alicia, from this day onward, you will study magic for a full month,” Count Shadowstep said as he summoned both of them to his office.

“Really? I thought we’d only start next week!” Eli beamed at the news.

“Well, the capital is eager to finally have another high-ranking mage. So, they’ve hastened your schedule, luckily, we have a mage in our land that fits the criteria to teach. It would do our county wonders if you two can start recharging arcane stones as soon as possible.”

“Of course, Father! I, Elidranthia Shadowstep, will prove myself worthy of bearing the Shadowstep name. With Alicia’s and my magic, we shall bring prosperity to our county!”

“Excellent! As expected of my child. And you—” Count Shadowstep turned to Alicia, “—it’s time to earn your keep, peasant!”

“Milord, I have been working! I bought groceries and cleaned my room! I must say, I am earning my keep. I also studied!” Alicia pouted.

Unbeknownst to her, she had been spoiled. It was a tacit understanding that Alicia was a mage, and thus Rodrique never assigned her tasks such as laundry, cooking, or cleaning.

Alicia only ever had to do simple errands, like buying groceries—and, more importantly, being Elidranthia’s friend.

Knowing Lord Shadowstep wouldn't kill a golden goose, the shameless Alicia dared to speak back to the count.

“You little twerp! If you weren’t a mage, I wouldn’t even have hired such an insolent brat!”

“Hmm? But I’m Lady Elidranthia’s maid. Not yours...” Alicia tilted her head and smirked.

“You! You dare mock Count Shadowstep? If only you weren’t a mage, I would have you hanged!”

“I’m just clarifying my role, milord. My loyalty lies with Lady Elidranthia. Or are you saying you’ll break your promise? Will you really kill a mage profitable to your territory just to satisfy your pride, milord?” Alicia smirked wider.

She had never won an argument in her past life. But now, she had a literal magic word. As long as she flaunted her mage status and the promise Lord Shadowstep said to her, she was invincible.

“Gah! I will not entertain this discussion any longer! You will learn to use magic! Be useful for once, you insolent brat!”

“As you wish, milord.” Alicia curtsied and bowed with a smirk.

At first, Elidranthia had been horrified by Alicia’s attitude. However, this sort of banter had happened so many times that she no longer cared.

“Well, I knew she at least took Laura’s lessons,” Rodrique said.

“Huh? What do you mean? She was as impertinent as ever! Just look at my daughter—she’s nothing like that peasant, even though they were taught by the same teacher! I should fire Laura for failing to teach that buffoon the manners she so desperately needs!”

“Well, she did curtsy, and her speech has certainly improved,” Rodrique replied. “I wonder why her gestures irritate us instead of evoking serenity... like Lady Elidranthia’s.”

“Well, no matter how much you teach a pig, it’ll still smell like a pig. I guess I was the foolish one, trying to teach manners to a peasant.” Count Shadowstep sighed as he returned to his desk.

The reason Elidranthia’s gesture and Alicia’s felt different was simple: intent.

Alicia mimicked the movements thinking it was all a theatrical act. She had no real respect for the customs. The difference showed in the subtle details—her words, her body language.

When both curtsied, Eli did so with grace, as if her life depended on it. Her gestures were fluid and pleasing to the eye. Alicia, on the other hand, only made a rough imitation. She didn’t care if her performance was crude, so long as it was funny or dramatic.

Eli and Alicia were then brought before their new teacher.

He was a man with soft features and long golden hair flowing down his back. His black uniform was tight-fitting, adorned with gold embroidery. White gloves hugged his hands, and a pair of spectacles rested on his face, lending him a refined, intellectual air.

“Greetings, Lady Elidranthia and Miss Alicia. My name is Alexandraine, a mage from Shadowstep Town. I was hired by Count Shadowstep to accelerate your studies. I must admit, I’m excited—it’s a rare opportunity to teach the basics to a high-ranking mage.”

“The pleasure is all mine… Should I use mister or sire?” Eli asked.

“I’m not from nobility. You can call me Mr. Alexandraine—or Mr. Alex outside formal settings, Lady Elidranthia. And pardon me if I miss a few manners from time to time. I wasn’t raised among nobles, after all.”

“Good! If you’re not a noble, we can skip all that etiquette stuff! Alright—let’s begin!” Alicia said eagerly. This is a fantasy world. What kind of fantasy world would it be without magic?

“Let us begin,” Alexandraine said, nodding. “As you might know, mages are vital to society. They’re used in nearly every field—waterworks, refrigeration, ovens, forges, medicine, mining… even entertainment relies on magic. You’re aware of this, right?”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“Yes, Mr. Alexandraine,” Elidranthia replied. “Laura and Mr. Brexford have already taught me the importance of mages to society. Mages are the foundation of human civilization. Without them, daily life would collapse. Without water pumps, farms would suffer from drought. Without arcane ovens and furnaces, our forests would be stripped bare for fuel.”

“I’ve seen a mage recharge an oven!” Alicia added. “They’re important, right? Plus, they get to eat white bread and drink fruit juice every day!”

“...I see.” Mr. Alex blinked. “Well, I’m reminded again that the two of you come from very different worlds. Still, it seems both of you understand how crucial mages are to society.”

He then pulled out a few devices from his bag: an arcane stone and a set of ornate scales. The base was studded with smaller arcane stones, and the gilded metal gave off a soft, mysterious glow.

“In the past, only fire mages could recharge fire-aligned arcane stones. But thanks to this invention, even non-aligned mages can now recharge any stone. It's quite rare for high-ranking mages to be multi-elemental, after all.

Thanks to this breakthrough, even dark mages—once considered the black sheep of the magical community—are now in high demand.”

“I see. Well, Eli and I are triple elementals. I think we’ve covered all elements, right, Eli? I mean—Lady Elidranthia,” Alicia said, flashing an awkward smile.

“You don’t need to use honorifics, Alicia. Just don’t let Miss Laura hear you,” Elidranthia sighed, rolling her eyes at Alicia’s poor attempt at courtesy. “And yes, we’ve covered all elements. The priest said I have earth, life, and dark elements, while you have fire, water, and wind.”

“I see. Then both of you will certainly become the cornerstone of Shadowstep County,” Mr. Alexandraine said. “Let me show you how it’s done. This,” he held up a green gem, “is a spent wind arcane stone, commonly used in radio relays at town halls. And this,” he gestured to a red gem, “is a spent fire arcane stone, often found in ovens and forges.”

“I’m a Rank 5 fire mage. I can charge the fire stone myself, but I can’t charge the wind stone. That’s where this device comes in,” he explained, placing the stones on a small arcane scale.

He put his hand on one arm of the scale and the wind stone on the other. A red glow radiated from his palm, channeled into the scale, then transformed into a green glow as it flowed into the wind stone. After about ten minutes, the stone began to glow faintly.

“Amazing! Let me try!” Alicia exclaimed.

“Of course,” Mr. Alexandraine said, handing her the tool. Alicia placed her hand on the device, and red light snaked from her fingers into the scale and into the arcane stone.

“Would you like to try, Lady Elidranthia?”

“Yes! Thank you for permitting me to use this device. I look forward to your continued tutelage.”

Alicia finished her charge soon after. Mr. Alexandraine replaced the spent stone with another, this time for Elidranthia. As she placed her hand on the scale, a question surfaced in her mind.

“Mr. Alexandraine,” Eli said, “you mentioned that mages can recharge arcane stones without tools. Why not teach us that method instead?”

The mage smirked at her question, clearly pleased.

“Well, using a mana transfer device is easier. You just need to place your hand on it, and the tool does the rest for you. The kingdom supports its use because it creates a standard,” Mr. Alexandraine explained. “You see, before this tool was invented, it was difficult to measure how much mana had been stored in an arcane stone. There was a general guideline based on how brightly the stone should glow before being declared fully charged, but it wasn’t precise. Overcharging could crack the stone. People used to complain that their furnaces ran out faster than their neighbors’. This device solved that issue.”

“With this device, all charged arcane stones hold the same amount of mana—at least right after charging. Mana does leak out from the stone over time,” he added.

“I see,” Eli nodded thoughtfully.

But Mr. Alexandraine leaned in and smirked as he whispered, “I’ll teach you how to charge arcane stones manually the day after tomorrow. Keep this a secret, okay? The truth is, this device is only about 50% efficient. We’re wasting half the mana every time we use it.”

Eli and Alicia gasped.

Alicia scooted closer, clearly hungry for more juicy info.

“Ahem! Listen,” he continued in a hushed tone. “This is an open secret. You're not allowed to criticize the system. But to avoid fraud, all arcane stones sold through the town hall must be charged using this device.”

“But… that’s such a waste!” Eli exclaimed as the device stopped glowing, signaling the charging was complete.

Mr. Alexandraine nodded while inspecting the gem and glancing at both girls. “Excellent work! Are you tired, by any chance? I remember my early days with this device. I could manage, but most mages could barely fill one stone.”

“Hm? Aren’t we expected to fill, like, a hundred of them per day?” Alicia asked, puzzled.

“Children get tired easily. Their mana stabilizes once they reach at least seventeen years old. We remeasure their mana again when they graduate from Mage Academy. But I suppose Rank 6 and 7 mages like you two are different. You didn’t seem tired at all,” Alexandraine said with a satisfied nod.

“I am a noble. It is only natural that I do my best to help this territory prosper. Alicia will help me do so, right?” Eli said with conviction.

“Well, since our lesson is over, I’ll let you in on another secret,” Mr. Alexandraine said with a grin. “It’s legal to charge arcane stones manually outside the town hall, you can even sell the service. In fact, even inside the town hall, mages often charge the stones manually before topping them off with the device. But as I said before, problems started appearing when we didn’t have enough mages with the right affinities.”

He sighed. “We need to fill at least a hundred arcane stones in this town, and we only have ten mages.”

“Well, we are a small, impoverished town after all,” Alicia sighed.

“Hm… Mr. Brexford and Miss Laura didn’t teach me this…” Elidranthia frowned. Learning that there were only ten mages in town was troubling. And this town had to support three other nearby villages as well. Without mages of the proper affinity, they’d need to burn through twice as much mana to keep things afloat.

“Well, the citizens—and even some nobles—aren’t aware. But the court knows. That’s why they set a low quota at the town hall. They’re hoping to encourage mages to charge things manually as a side hustle.”

Alicia was suddenly reminded of the mage who had recharged the oven in the bakery that sells wastel bread. Come to think of it… Wasn’t that the same mage standing in front of her now?

Nevertheless, Alicia had the memory of a goldfish. She didn’t recognize Alexandraine’s face.

“Why doesn’t the town hall just manage everything?” Eli frowned. The policy sounded like fertile ground for corruption.

“Well, we don’t want everything managed by the government,” Alexandraine said with a smirk. “If people ask, just come up with some excuse for why you’re working extra.”

“Yes! Like, ‘the pay sucked,’” Alicia quipped.

Eli glared at her. As a count’s daughter, she knew that if one of her personal mages said something like that, her house reputation would crash to the ground.

“Ah, you can say that,” Alexandraine said. “But you must mention the town hall only pays one gold coin per month. Then say you need more. If you don’t explain the amount, the nobles will mock you as greedy. After all, depending on our rank, some of us earn more than nobles.”

“I see…” Eli muttered, looking thoughtful.

“Well, that marks the end of today’s lesson,” Alexandraine said, straightening his gloves. “Let us meet the day after tomorrow, future promising mages.”

He gave them a bow and excused himself.