Chapter 22: The Mage’s First Goal

Entering the Capital, I received money from Arnold.

The basic allowance for 23 days was set at 2 gold 30 silver.

Here, Arnold generously added another 5 gold.

“This is your ransom money.”

Honestly, if it weren’t for me, who knows if they would have survived.

Just thinking about the overwhelming number of Wolves and Orcs involved is staggering.

Jenny’s pay also came into my hands.

There was no reason to hand money over to her, a mercenary and a slave.

An additional 1 gold was added for the value of the Wolf leather.

With this transaction, a total of 10 gold 60 silver was secured.

It would probably be enough to get by for a while, but it was an amount that could be spent quickly if I wasn’t careful.

At a time when both Jenny and I needed to grow stronger, it was a sum that could even be seen as meager.

Feeling the weight of the money growing in my pocket, I tucked it away carefully.

“By the way, there’s an inn affiliated with my trading company. How many days will you be staying? If it’s solo, I can arrange lodging for up to three days.”

“Then I’ll make good use of it.”

I wasn’t one to refuse something offered for free.

They were probably trying to create an opportunity to coax me somehow.

After offering the invitation, they must have thought I looked dazed during the trip to the Capital, as if I was deep in thought.

Still, I had no intention of joining any guild, but I was indeed contemplating something.

“Let’s just rest and think for now.”

Jenny and I headed to the inn Arnold had mentioned.

The inn was quite large.

Compared to the surrounding buildings, it was twice as big—a five-story building, no less.

The building where people stayed was L-shaped, and the room we were assigned was at the very end of the first floor.

The room itself was spacious, big enough for ten adults to lie down.

We dropped the bags we had been carrying and looked at the wide room and the large bed.

I wanted nothing more than to throw myself onto the bed immediately, but the earthy smell clinging to my body prevented me from doing so.

“Ah, I want to soak properly in some hot water.”

But in this world, there was no capital with hot water flowing, nor any bathtubs to receive warm water.

A feeling of emptiness welled up inside me.

Still, perhaps out of kindness, the innkeeper brought a bucket full of hot water to our room.

Jenny and I roughly washed ourselves with that water.

But it didn’t quench my desire.

I stared at the now cooled water and thought.

“Is there a way to warm this up?”

If I could at least heat the water, all I needed was a large tub to solve this problem.

On a whim, I moved.

“Fire Bolt.”

I cast Fire Bolt on the bucket of water.

With a sizzling sound, the Fire Bolt slowly disappeared.

The water was warmer than before.

“Wow, amazing!”

I found a way to fulfill my desire.

Now, all that was left was to find a large tub.

Just then, the innkeeper was rolling a large barrel past us.

“Oh, perfect.”

I didn’t know what it was for, but I ran after it.

I told the innkeeper that I wanted to borrow the barrel for a while.

He said it was something unnecessary and told me to use it freely.

I roughly rolled the large barrel into the room.

It was big enough for two people to fit inside comfortably.

Next, I fetched water diligently from the well and filled the barrel.

“Damn, I should learn magic that produces water. What kind of hard labor is this?”

Though I muttered complaints under my breath, I kept moving.

I was doing all this for myself, after all.

Seeing my effort, Jenny moved to help as well, and fortunately, the well was nearby, so we filled it quickly.

“Fire Bolt.”

Sizzle.

After repeating the magic several times, warm steam began to rise, and the barrel was filled with hot water.

I hurriedly stripped and slipped into the barrel.

“Ahh.”

The hot water stimulated my body, and my tense muscles and mind instantly relaxed.

After six months in this world, it was the first time I felt truly at ease.

The yearning inside me slowly melted away.

Splash, splash.

At the sudden noise, I opened my eyes to see Jenny entering the barrel.

“Ah… this feels so good.”

Her face gradually relaxed.

She must have felt as worn out as I did.

We soaked quietly, bodies submerged in the water.

At some point, our eyes met.

After that, words became unnecessary.

That’s how we spent our first warm day at the inn.

***

The next day, I woke up feeling sluggish and wandered around the Capital with Jenny.

More precisely, I did the sightseeing, and Jenny acted as my guide.

The Capital was indeed a capital.

There was so much to see and so much to eat.

There were praises for the hero of the poet, streets filled with jesters, and many shops selling various weapons and armor laid out on tables.

Thanks to that, even just sightseeing all day was enough to enjoy the many new sights.

For two days, we wandered about the surroundings, lost in a daze.

Then on the third day, it was already time to vacate the room Arnold had booked.

Since the only luggage we had was a single bag each, leaving was easy.

During a meal that was both breakfast and lunch, I began to consider what lay ahead.

“Hmm… first, let’s check my status. Status Window!”

My Status Window had grown quite long.

I had leveled up considerably through the recent transactions.

My skills were growing in tandem.

But now, six months after landing here, it was clear that it was time to firmly establish myself.

‘Although my level is still low, I’m at least strong enough not to die immediately… and I can earn money now. My skills are enough to get by.’

At least for survival, there was no worry for the time being.

But the biggest problem for me right now was that I had no clear goal.

‘A goal…’

What could it be?

I asked Jenny.

“What would be a good goal to aim for?”

“Well… No matter how hard a commoner tries, reality is that there are limits.”

This world was ruled by nobles.

At the very least, you had to be a quasi-noble—the lowest rank of nobility—to escape being a commoner.

“So the only way is to become a noble?”

As I wandered the city, I gathered bits of information.

More than anything else, I focused on what could make money or any special cases where someone had become a noble.

“Is the most feasible way to become a noble through being a Mage?”

When I met a Mage before, they said my mana corresponded to one Circle.

I didn’t know how Circles were divided, nor had I ever thought much about them.

‘Circle…’

Mid-meal, I began to think about Circles.

In the game I used to play, there were no classes, so there was no information about the Mage as a profession.

But when you learned magic skills, at some point, Circles would appear.

However, I still had no Circle.

‘Is something else required?’

I assumed there was some condition necessary to form a Circle.

When I face the unknown, there is one way I rely on.

Level up.

When my level rose, something would surely change.

According to rumors, the 4th Circle meant quasi-nobility, and the 5th Circle guaranteed true nobility.

So my first goal should be reaching the 5th Circle.

‘Alright, the goal is set. Now, what’s next?’

Becoming a noble had become my primary objective.

But simply declaring it without any foundation wasn’t enough.

I needed a basic power base.

Considering the noble faction’s intrigues and mutual checks, I needed some sort of influence.

‘Should I form a mercenary band?’

The easiest basic force to create was a mercenary band.

Of course, hiring them all wasn’t easy.

Financially, that is.

I looked at Jenny instinctively.

Her eyes met mine.

‘Should I buy slaves and raise them?’

The option of buying slaves and raising them had many advantages for me.

First, slaves basically had bound magic, but once registered as pets, they became completely loyal to me.

I could train their abilities and, depending on their skills, even erase their Slave Seals.

That depended on the master’s will.

And once I became a noble and acquired my own territory, I could grant them appropriate ranks and live alongside them.

‘This is probably the best way.’

I had considered other methods, but this was the closest to the correct answer.

Regularly hiring mercenaries made it difficult to trust them.

I recalled the mercenaries I saw escorting slaves to the Capital.

They abandoned their charges as soon as their lives became dangerous.

Breaking promises with their employers was commonplace, and they justified it if it was disadvantageous to themselves.

At least slaves couldn’t behave like that.

Those registered as pets were the same.

The goal was decided.

Now it was time to move.

“Alright, let’s find out.”

I had to find a way to level up quickly and make money.

One thing immediately came to mind.

The Londinium Empire was currently in the middle of a war.

Not a war with another country, but a civil war.

Between the First Prince and the Second Prince, their struggle had engulfed the surrounding areas in flames.

Because of that, mercenaries were flocking to the empire’s capital.

I thought I could just stay here and make my move.