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Steward, what do you think about this?

To be honest, I think it would be a failure.

Is that so? Well, mages are a stubborn bunch. They would never engage in the weight reduction magic business. If they listen to the proposal and dont start throwing fireballs, that would be quite an accomplishment.

Count Whiskers had quite a lot of experience dealing with mages.

Mages were stubborn. That made them less than ideal business partners.

To succeed in business, one needed to act boldly without regard to status, but mages didnt have that quality.

Above all, mages prioritized their own magic above everything else.

If they all come back rejecting the offer, well just end up gathering mediocre mages. In that case, the business wont thrive. I know quite well why people ask high-level mages for weight reduction magic.

I will prepare to assist.

Thats the spirit. At least we should support Ethans business from our side.

While not particularly hopeful, he couldnt just give up.

Seeing his son trying to do something, even if it wasnt much, brought a sense of satisfaction to Count Whiskers.

Its okay to fail. Whats important is that hes doing something. Besides, even on the day he returned, he continued his training. Theres no doubt that hes determined to do something.

Then lets start by recruiting the mages right away.

* * *

Ethan gathered the unrecognized mages inside the magic tower.

Are you referring to me?

Are you really here to find me?

That cant be true.

Most of them couldnt believe Ethans words that he came to find them. They lacked confidence and had low self-esteem.

Are you sure its going to be okay, Sir Ethan?

Yerica asked, slightly anxious.

If it were Marakan, it wouldnt matter since he already knew from the beginning. If Ethan had confidence, he could grow into a proper mage.

However, it didnt seem that way for the others.

Of course, not just anyone could enter the tower.

But their condition was so poor that they doubted if they had really passed the test and entered the Magic Tower.

This tower may be on the outer side of the continent, but its closer to the center. They are all here because they have skills.

Ethan whispered quietly to Yerica.

Even so, Yerica looked at the mages with dissatisfaction.

Although they seemed to be mages who could earn a living, they didnt appear to be satisfactory mages for Ethan, who had just recruited them.

I know that all of you are researching impressive magic.

Ethans words were sincere.

If it had been said by someone else, the word impressive would have carried a sarcastic meaning, but not for Ethan.

Just because it takes a slightly different direction, your magic is not wrong.

Each word he spoke was exactly what they wanted to hear.

Yerica, who had been listening while slightly stepping back, crossed her arms and continued to observe Ethan.

If only she had been in their position, unrecognized as a mage.

If I were told that I couldnt learn my grandfathers magic and instead belonged to the 1st rank in this Magic Tower.

She would undoubtedly have been enthralled by those words.

Hes speaking sincerely.

He truly was an impressive person.

He genuinely believed that the magic of those mages was remarkable.

That was why he had that expression and tone.

However, their magics are quite ambiguous.

Yerica thought.

In fact, she couldnt understand why they were researching them.

If they were affiliated with Magic Tower, they would have access to a wealth of information and could research a wider range of magic.

Heuk, heuk.

Some of the mages, upon hearing Ethans words, clenched their lips and let out a quiet sob. They had been treated as mere relics for as short as one year or as long as five years.

But now that someone recognized their efforts, they couldnt help but feel overwhelmed with emotions.

The magic you all are researching, why dont we try using them properly together? And show it to those who ignored you.

Ethan spoke.

To the skilled mages of the Magic Tower.

He said he would bring to life what they had always imagined.

We will do it!

We will make a contract, Sir Ethan!

There was no mage who refused.

Siigh.

Yerica let out a sigh without realizing it.

As she watched them, memories of when she first met Ethan in the Dark Forest suddenly came to her mind.

* * *

The lord of the Magic Tower.

He thought that Ethans proposal was actually beneficial.

The mages that Ethan offered to take were the failures of the Magic Tower.

Magic Tower was fundamentally a place for magical research.

If the magic being studied had the premise of success, they would spare no support. However, they failed every time.

Well, that was fine. Failure. When researching proper magic, there were often many failures.

They were more accustomed to failure than success.

But what they were researching was not extraordinary magic.

However, Im curious, Sir Ethan Whiskers. Why these individuals?

The lord of the Magic Tower asked, stroking his goatee.

They have potential. They will undoubtedly become great mages.

Well, if you say so.

From the lord of the Magic Towers perspective, it would be good to send them away as soon as possible.

Now, they are no longer affiliated with the Magic Tower. I can assure you of that right here.

Ethan simply brought them out of the Magic Tower and presented them under the command of Whiskers County.

* * *

Whiskers County.

The mages who arrived at the county wandered around in all directions.

They couldnt have imagined that the day to leave Magic Tower would come so quickly.

And to top it off, they would be involved in a business venture.

Sir Ethan.

At that moment, Marakan raised his hand with an anxious expression.

First of all, I would like to thank you for offering us a contract. However, before that, I have a question. You mentioned that you would conduct a business centered around our magic. How do you plan to proceed with the business? And

And you havent seen our magic yet.

They were grateful to him for believing in them.

They had decided to join Ethan without looking back at his words of acknowledgment.

That was why they were anxious. Ethan had not actually seen their magic skills yet.

I-I havent even completed my magic yet

Some of the mages were still in an incomplete state with their magic.

However, Ethan smiled at the anxious mages.

Those he brought from Magic Tower, starting with Marakan, were all mages that Ethan knew.

There was no NPC he didnt know in the game. He even remembered the NPCs he simply passed by.

I picked the best of the best.

There wasnt a single person who failed. Even if they didnt become exceptional in the future, they would become useful mages.

They had enough potential.

I just need to tap into that potential a little.

Then they would become mages who do anything for Ethan, rather than prestigious ones.

You came here because you believed in me, right?

Yes.

If I didnt believe, I wouldnt have come!

True.

Mages were inherently sensitive about their magic.

Magic was entirely theirs. Even if they didnt know what lies ahead, someone interfering with it touched their pride as a mage.

I will help you all a bit.

Are you saying that you will meddle with the magic we are researching?

Marakans words made Ethan nod.

Ill just offer some advice. Isnt that magic entirely yours?

Ethan first took out pouches from his subspace pouches. The pouches were filled with solid gold.

This is the advance payment.

Jingle.

The pouches were filled to the brim, astonishing the mages.

He discreetly opened one and found it filled with golden coins.

Money-like things were not important. Money was merely incidental to the completion of magic.

But he called it an advance payment.

It meant that the value attributed to their magic was worth this much gold. The moment they received it, the value of their own magic skyrocketed.

Ethan looked at their expressions.

It was a method possible because they were thirsty for recognition.

May I offer some advice?

Yes.

* * *

Oh, my goodness.

In a small workshop.

Marakan was astonished as he watched flames flicker on the dagger.

He had just received advice from Ethan yesterday, and to be honest, he didnt feel good about it.

Ethan wasnt a mage. He was clearly a swordsman. Even if he had some knowledge about magic, it wasnt specialized knowledge.

Thats why he couldnt help but feel some resistance, even though Ethan reached out to them with a helping hand.

Still, he held back his emotions.

Ethan was someone who had acknowledged them, and he had asked them to give it a try, even if it meant deceiving themselves.

The act of deceiving oneself was truly important.

It allowed the mages to set aside their pride.

Thus, including Marakan, the mages listened to Ethans advice. After firmly remembering the advice, they began their magical research in the workshop this morning.

I-I did it. I succeeded!

The dagger flickered with flames. This magnificent flame dagger was exactly what Marakan had always yearned for.

He had merely followed Ethans advice with just a slight modification.

Just a tiny bit. But it was a success by simply accepting Ethans advice.

Marakan couldnt believe the situation he was in.

Uaaaahhhh!

At that moment, they heard a strange sound of power from outside.

Uaaaahh?

And along with it, they heard a startled scream.

No way, did all the other mages succeed too?

The people who had come with Markaan had once received attention within the Magic Tower, but their research on magic was so obscure and impractical that they remained in the lower ranks.

Marakan himself had not gained recognition, but those individuals had made even less progress in magical research than Marakan.

This cant be true.

This was unbelievable. It was truly unbelievable.

* * *

Sir Ethan.

You all seem lively since morning.

Ethan could tell from their expressions alone.

They must have succeeded.

They couldnt have done anything else but succeed.

After all, Ethans advice was no different from looking at the answer sheet and telling them the solution.

I mean, how did you?

How did you know everything?

Ive been researching for years, and it never worked for me!

I read it in books.

The mages were bewildered by Ethans words. If Schudlen were here, he would probably have said As expected of Young Master.

Have you all understood now? You are all capable individuals. You succeeded with just a little advice.

Ethan humbly lowered his own achievements and simply lifted them up, saying it was all because they did well.

Shall we start the business in earnest then? From now on, you will be selling magic. More specifically, it will be a business of weight reduction magic and enchanting the equipment with the magic you have long researched.

Weight reduction magic?

The one in charge of weight reduction magic will be Yerica here, and as you become familiar with it, you will be immediately put to work.

As Ethan pointed to Yerica, she smiled at the mages.

Youll get used to it soon.

She said as she gathered mana in her hand.

If they didnt get used to it, she would make sure they did.

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