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Yerica dedicated herself to magical training every day.

Her grandfather’s magic was so impressive that it wasn’t easy to understand it all at once.

However, through repeated practice and training, she gradually gained a deep understanding of the magic.

“My weight reduction magic has become stronger than before. But won’t this cause problems for the business?”

Yerica knew that Ethan’s goal was not merely about the business.

Nor was her goal to be the sole responsible person for this business.

The business served as a stepping stone for various other objectives.

Therefore, this business should be able to continue even without them, with the involvement of other mages.

“Other mages won’t be able to perform weight reduction magic like mine.”

“But can’t other mages perform lightweight magic like the one before?”

“Well, it’s not that difficult. But I’m not sure if other mages would even want to do it.”

Mages were revered beings.

Once they reached a certain level, they made various attempts to enhance their magical prowess.

“To mages, a business venture would be like making potions. They don’t even consider weight reduction magic.”

Weigh reduction magic itself was not that difficult. The magic itself was quite simple. The challenging part was maintaining the balance while performing weight reduction magic.

That was why mages considered weight reduction magic to be trivial. Mastering easy magic didn’t necessarily help in learning advanced magic.

“That’s true. But that’s about the esteemed mages. We’re not aiming for those kinds of mages.”

“What do you mean?”

“Both mages and swordsmen have some underlying commonalities.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Yerica widened her eyes and looked at Ethan.

“Recognition…right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. We all want recognition. Everyone does.”

In fact, it was something that applied not just to mages or swordsmen.

“But where do you plan to find these unrecognized mages? If they’re not recognized, it means they lack skill, and at that level, they probably can’t even perform weight reduction magic properly.”

Although weight reduction magic might seem easy, it required a certain level of control.

It wasn’t something that inexperienced mages could easily accomplish.

“Our clients are very discerning. Even mercenaries and knights can sense the slightest imbalance.”

During her short time practicing weight reduction magic, Yerica had received a lot of feedback from knights and mercenaries.

That feedback stimulated Yerica and fueled her dedication to mastering magic even further.

“If we don’t achieve the right balance, they won’t come back for a second time.”

Therefore, Ethan’s plan was essentially impractical.

“I know all of that.”

However, Ethan was already aware of Yerica’s concerns.

‘I’ve experienced it all.’

He knew from firsthand experience that mediocre mages couldn’t properly use weight reduction magic.

“I’m going to the Magic Tower.”

“The Magic Tower? Isn’t that a place for esteemed mages? They probably wouldn’t even want to participate in a business focused on weight reduction magic in the first place, right? Ah!”

As she spoke, she quickly understood Ethan’s intentions.

“Yeah, the failures of the Magic Tower. They have the skills, but their tastes are unique, so they’ve never gained recognition in their lifetime. I’ll bring them.”

* * *

Ruanduize Magic Tower.

This tower was primarily occupied by mages specializing in the fire element and boasted the largest scale among the towers located on the outskirts of the continent.

Puong-!

“Another failure, Marakan!”

“T-There should be no reason for failure this time…”

“Why do you keep attempting things that never work? That’s why you can’t advance to the third rank. Look at those in the first rank. I don’t know if they can be called mages, just like you. They only know how to fail. Don’t you have something you’re good at? Just stick to your ordinary research on fire magic.”

“…….”

“Otherwise, I won’t cover for you anymore. I have my limits.”

Marakan hung his head low.

The mage before him was a friend who had entered the tower together with him.

“You understand, right? Focus on researching fire magic. You’re more talented than me. Of course, the gap between us has widened a bit, but you’ll catch up soon enough.”

When they first set foot in the tower, Marakan was filled with passion.

He pledged to become the foremost wizard, conducting research on the magic he desired.

However, Marakan spent his days experiencing constant failures.

Being called useless or pathetic, receiving daily insults, his self-esteem dwindled, and his pride was eroded.

Even hearing such words from his friend dealt a greater blow.

While he ranked at the lowest level in the first rank, his friend was in the third rank.

Ironically, their evaluations were the opposite when they entered the tower.

After his friend left the laboratory, Marakan slammed his fist on the desk.

“Damn it, it seemed like it would work. I thought it would work. Just a little more. Really, just a little more…”

His research focused on fire elemental enchantment.

But it wasn’t your typical attribute enchantment.

“It’s a roaring flame effect. It bestows a continuous effect of that flame.”

Attribute enchantment itself was simple, but continuously creating the blazing flame effect it manifested was extremely challenging.

“There’s clearly demand for it. It’s not just about the attributes that can be enchanted into weapons. Style matters too. Who would want to wear equipment that looks uncool?”

Marakan had been striving to uphold his belief.

“Hmm.”

But even that belief was now fading away.

If he didn’t stop, he would be driven out of the tower.

While he was lost in his thoughts…

“Marakan! There’s a client looking for you.”

His friend, who had just left, returned with a group of people.

One of them was a handsome young man with a gentle gaze, and the other was a beautiful woman who clearly looked like a mage.

“Who are you? And why are you looking for me?”

Marakan asked the two people he had never seen before.

“I am Ethan Whiskers. I am the eldest son of Count Whiskers. And this is Yerica, my personal mage.”

“Hello.”

“Let’s cut to the chase. Marakan, we want to hire you as a mage for our county.”

“Wh-What?”

Marakan was momentarily taken aback.

His friend, who had entered with him, also wore a bewildered expression.

“Ethan Whiskers, if you came to the tower looking to hire a mage, then even if things go wrong now, you’re making a seriously wrong choice. This friend of mine is in the 1st rank. If you’re from Whiskers County, don’t you need a mage of at least the 3rd rank or higher?”

“That’s correct. I, um, I’m in the 1st rank and haven’t learned any proper magic. This friend here is in the 3rd rank, so it might be better to…”

“No.”

Ethan cut him off sharply, then looked at Marakan.

“We need you, Marakan.”

“W-Why me? Why would you need me?”

The words “We need you.” Had he ever heard them before?

Marakan’s heart raced. Perhaps his face turned red too.

His ears were definitely red. They felt extremely hot.

“What do you want from me?”

At the same time, he felt a bit angry.

Does he even know what he’s doing?

No matter how much of a 1st-rank he was, he was still a mage belonging to the tower.

“We are starting a business, and we need your magic for that.”

“My magic? But my magic is…”

Before Marakan could finish his sentence, his friend interrupted.

“Seriously, I can’t believe this. No matter how mediocre of a mage my friend is, talking about a business? Mages have their pride. Mages pursue their beliefs, not money. They dedicate themselves to magic…”

“Uren.”

Marakan cut off his friend’s words.

“Step aside.”

With Marakan’s firm words, Uren’s face fell.

“Do whatever you want. After all, I bothered to take your side.”

Grumbling, Uren left the room, and Marakan lowered his head.

He was feeling excited.

Had there ever been a time like this before?

No one had ever told him that they needed him.

“Are you aware of what my magic is like?”

“Yes, I know. You’re researching fire-based magic. Not the typical offensive magic, but rather the study of attribute enchantment, correct?”

Yerica looked at Ethan with surprised eyes.

She thought he had just barged in, but he had already finished his information gathering.

“If you already know all that, why do you need my magic?”

“As I mentioned earlier, I am interested in that magic. I want to work with you, Marakan.”

“Can you discuss business with a mediocre mage like me?”

As his excitement subsided and his head cleared, Marakan began to doubt if he was being mocked. He couldn’t fully believe that his magic was truly needed.

Moreover, a business venture?

Magic, for a mage, was not meant to be used in such a way.

“Yerica.”

“Yes.”

Yerica snapped her fingers, and suddenly flames began to spread around them. A wall of fire was created.

“Fi-Fire Wall without chanting?”

A mage of at least the 3rd rank, or even higher. It was clear from the display.

“Our mage here is the centerpiece of the business. You can imagine what it means to have a mage of this caliber involved in a business venture.”

“I’m an impressive mage.”

Yerica smiled and spoke with a mischievous tone. The more Ethan got to know her, the more he realized she was audacious, more than he initially thought.

And he quite liked that.

“What kind of business are you planning?”

“If you’d like to hear the details, please sign here.”

Having come this far in the conversation, he couldn’t resist finding out what kind of business they had in mind.

* * *

Marakan was quite a unique mage.

‘There were many people searching for Marakan. He was an exceptional Attribute Enchantment NPC.’

He was different from the typical Attribute Enchantment NPC. The magic he bestowed didn’t have a significant effect.

‘It merely altered one’s appearance, but even that was enough to attract numerous people.’

An aura that seemed to be engulfed in flames.

That was the Flame Attribute Enchantment he granted.

It didn’t increase resistance to fire or enhance the power of fire-based magic. It simply bestowed a burning aura upon the equipment.

Yet people cheered for his magic.

In essence, Marakan was like a guaranteed winning lottery ticket.

“Welcome, Marakan.”

Ethan, holding the signed parchment, extended his hand with a smile.

As Marakan shook his hand, he sensed an indescribable hint of danger in Ethan’s smile.