NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4
It took about two hours until shopping was finally done.
Most of what I bought was clothes and accessories.
Except for a few items I needed right away, I decided to send the rest through delivery.
In total, I ended up spending 7 billion.
As I initially mentioned, it was impossible to max out my credit card.
But even considering that, I basically shredded money.
Maybe that’s why, as Lakrina exited the store, she flinched and couldn’t hide her anxiety.
It felt like the atmosphere suggested that if someone were to steal, it would be a disaster.
No, perhaps Lakrina herself considered herself the thief in this situation.
A poor disciple robbing her master. Yeah, that kind of bad imagery.
“Calm down! Anyone would think you just stole something.”
“B-but… the dress I’m wearing is worth 4,4 billion! I shouldn’t be wearing something like this…”
“Just accept it. You’ll be working on the front lines later anyway. The price of the protective gear you’ll need will be around that much too.”
Enok casually spun a lie.
In reality, the equipment costs for those working on the front lines are about that high.
But that’s only for the elite, not for regular soldiers.
The Imperial treasury secretary isn’t a pushover, and there’s no reason to supply that kind of gear to ordinary soldiers.
They simply don’t have the budget for it.
But Lakrina didn’t know that.
Enok loved to manipulate others, using his informational advantage.
In short, if he wanted to, he could.
His master could open his wallet as he pleased, so why would he dare to tremble and give advice?
“Lakrina.”
“Y-yes?”
“You’re not supposed to be shivering at a time like this. You should have something to say to me first.”
Lakrina snapped to attention.
She briefly exclaimed “Ah!” then straightened her outfit and bowed her head respectfully.
“I-I’m grateful for your kindness, sir. I won’t forget the gift you gave me today, and I’ll make sure to repay you.”
“Yeah, that works,” Enok patted Lakrina’s head.
Then he turned her slightly so she was facing the parked vehicle.
It was already 3 PM.
“Let’s get moving. The more you fidget, the longer my relaxation time gets pushed back.”
“…Sure.”
Enok’s city, ‘Magnusra,’ is divided into four major districts.
There’s the commercial district in the west, the noble and bureaucratic district in the east, the military district in the north, and the mages’ district in the south.
This layout isn’t unique to Magnusra; most cities in the Empire follow a similar structure.
By the way, Enok’s crooked fish pub was located on the eastern outskirts.
Most of the residents in the outer zones were commoners or middle-class folks.
Being a commoner allowed them to live there, while those even less fortunate ended up forming slums outside the shopping district or city walls.
‘Slums… with some creativity, they might actually be useful.’
Enok drove south from the west.
Following the paved road, they arrived in less than an hour.
“We’re here. Let’s go.”
“Yes…”
Lakrina exited the car, her expression still tense.
Wearing luxurious outfits and carrying expensive brands. She even had her makeup perfectly done.
And yet, she still seemed frozen, not quite able to keep up with the situation.
‘Well, it’s tough to adjust that quickly.’
Enok didn’t chide Lakrina unnecessarily.
She had grown quite bold lately, but at first, he felt similar to her.
In the end, it’s all a matter of time.
Enok gently nudged Lakrina’s back.
He took the anxious girl toward the Ice-binding Tower, Magnusra branch.
There, a massive blue ivory tower welcomed them.
It was about 17 stories tall.
Fairly high for a building, though quite average for a mage tower.
It seemed to be on par with a small branch of a city.
‘Certainly, the main mage tower in the capital of Eoin must be over 70 stories tall. Even if not now, I’ll probably have many reasons to visit later.’
Enok imagined the distant future as he looked at the tower.
Later on, the mage tower might even reach out to him first.
They wouldn’t just let Lakrina go with her talents lying around.
In the meantime, the registration at the entrance ended quickly.
They were assigned waiting number 3.
The two entered the waiting room and waited for their turn.
While they were seated in the reception room, enjoying tea and snacks, a mage-in-training came to call Lakrina’s name.
“Waiting number 3. Ms. Lakrina.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Do you have your waiting ticket? You’ll need to bring it along. Your guardian must accompany you too.”
The trainee led them to the designated room.
Before long, they encountered a group of mages in blue robes standing alongside a massive magic apparatus.
They quietly looked at Enok and Lakrina as they opened the door, then slightly bowed with courtesy.
“Welcome! Thank you for your patience.”
The mages behaved quite politely.
The image of a mad scientist obsessively buried in knowledge is completely off the mark.
Were those impressions merely rumors?
Lakrina felt curious and whispered to Enok.
“Sir, why are they being so respectful?”
“It’s probably because of your outfit. It’s clear it’s made of expensive fabric, so they likely think you have ties to nobility.”
“But I’m an orphan without a surname.”
“Lakrina, expand your imagination. There are quite a few nobles who, for certain reasons, hide their family names despite being born into nobility. They probably imagined your situation is similar.”
After saying that, Enok gently pushed Lakrina’s back.
“Go on. Go get treated like the nobility you are. Experiencing being treated like blue blood can be quite a fun experience.”
“D-don’t push me…”
Lakrina murmured softly, stepping forward to face the mages.
The mages smiled gently at Lakrina before reaching out cautionarily, as if beckoning her to come up.
“Please step up onto the apparatus. The rest will be handled by the magic tool.”
“Ah, okay.”
Lakrina followed their instructions quietly.
Once she climbed atop the apparatus and closed her eyes, there was a buzzing sound as the door closed.
-Beeeeeep
The aptitude test took about 5 minutes.
After some time, the entrance opened again.
With a burst of white smoke, Lakrina emerged from inside.
“Thank you for your efforts. The results will be out soon. Please wait in the reception room, and we’ll come and let you know as soon as it’s done.”
“Ah… thank you.”
“Not at all. It’s our job.”
The mage smiled and turned away.
Lakrina, regaining her senses, quickly walked over to Enok.
“Good job. Was that tiring, being your first time?”
“Not really… Honestly, I’m more concerned about the treatment. I’ve never received such attention before…”
Lakrina softly murmured, twisting her silver hair around her fingers.
Why on earth would she mess with her perfectly styled hair?
Enok gently nudged her wrist with his fingers to make her stop.
“Now that it’s done, let’s head out. Stop ruining your hair.”
“Yes…”
Lakrina nodded cautiously, looking a bit deflated.
Enok was about to head out when he noticed her fidgeting hands.
‘Fingers… come to think of it, it’s said that anxious people prefer to hold onto something tightly.’
Enok recalled a book he had read in the modern world.
The book mentioned that those experiencing psychological anxiety often carry cherished items to alleviate their stress.
A comfort doll, a comfort pillow.
Something along those lines.
It was highly likely Lakrina was seeking something similar.
However, he couldn’t just suddenly buy her a doll out of the blue.
After pondering for a moment, Enok sighed and reached out.
He grabbed Lakrina’s wrist halfway, then firmly held her empty hand.
“…?”
“Is that enough? Let’s start moving.”
“Uh… okay.”
Warmth flowed through their fingers. Surprisingly, it was pretty effective.
“Right!”
Lakrina, holding onto Enok’s hand, smiled brightly, her worries lifting.
@
The two spent their time in the reception room.
As Enok leisurely sipped on warm tea and munched on cookies, he noticed Lakrina’s tension easing.
Just then, a mage came in again, apologizing for the wait.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting. It took some time to finalize the results.”
“It’s alright. You were thorough, and we appreciate it.”
The mage was a first-time visitor.
Enok offered his polite thanks first.
Wearing a high-end coat, Enok’s words were more effective than expected.
The mage appeared more relieved and bowed politely before them.
“Actually, Ms. Lakrina’s test yielded quite unexpected results.”
“Unexpected? What do you mean by that?”
“No need to worry. It’s not bad news. It’s just that… this apparatus is unable to make an accurate measurement.”
The mage explained further.
He first stated the conclusion before naturally reinforcing his thoughts: a clever way to speak.
“As you probably already know, Ms. Lakrina has ample talent. What surprised us was the magnitude of that talent. The testing apparatus we have at our branch isn’t exactly subpar, but unfortunately, it seems we can’t get an accurate measure.”
“I see. So where should we go from here?”
“I would recommend the main Ice-binding Tower close to the capital. It’s not about affiliation; it’s just that we sensed an ice attribute in Ms. Lakrina.”
The mage explained politely, as if to say he had no selfish motives.
Enok was already aware of Lakrina’s talent, so he didn’t feel the need to point it out.
“Understood. We’ll plan to visit the main tower when we get the chance. But… as far as I know, visiting the main towers requires certain qualifications based on affiliation. Is that true?”
“Impressive. I doubt the average person would be aware of the status of the main towers.”
“It’s nothing special, really. Just a matter of keeping my ears open… haha.”
Enok chuckled nonchalantly.
“Ears…”
The young mage cleared his throat before continuing.
“To answer your question, that’s correct. Mage towers do carry a quite closed-off image. Unfortunately, it’s true that outsiders cannot enter the main tower at will unless they share the same affiliation.”
“Got it. So what should we do? Please share your thoughts.”
Enok politely inquired, showing proper respect.
Even though the other was just a mage, there was no need to create enmity by flaunting wealth or power.
However, the mage’s reaction was quite unexpected.
He keenly observed Enok’s demeanor before bursting out into laughter.
“Hahaha! Ahahaha!!”
“…? What’s so funny? Did we make a mistake?”
Enok asked cautiously, puzzled.
The mage wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and spoke gently.
“Ah, sorry. I’m an oddball who finds joy in unexpected surprises.”
“…?”
“There are many talented mages and polite mages out there. But it’s incredibly rare to find a mage who possesses both. Your conduct left such an impression on me that I couldn’t help but laugh.”
The mage spoke with a smile.
His youthful tension had completely vanished.
After adjusting his robe, he bowed politely towards Enok again.
“Since we’ve broken the ice, allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Nordila. I’m an intermediate-level mage handling ice among the eight elemental schools and simultaneously the head of the Ice-binding Tower.”