Chapter 39: The Spark of Ambition

The next morning, Jenny and I got up late and slumped down on the floor.

‘Hm… Should I just teach her like this?’

In the game, it was possible to teach with just a few button clicks, but this was different.

I had to personally teach Jenny, who was right in front of me.

“Ahem…,”

For now, I opened my Skill window and pressed the ‘Education’ skill.

The Education skill has been activated.

You can select a target to teach.

Choose the list of skills to teach.

1. Magic Understanding.
2. Swordsmanship Understanding.
3. Cooking Understanding.
4. Manual of Night Skills.

“Hmm? What should I teach you?”

As I looked at the list, I couldn’t help but mutter.

Number 1, well, I am a 5th Circle Mage after all. That made sense.

Number 2, considering all the swordsmanship manuals I’d bought and read, I was capable enough to teach someone else.

Number 3, I was definitely a better cook than Jenny, so I could teach her that as well.

Number 4, hahaha.

‘Well, it’s a bit boring, honestly.’

It was inevitable—I’d seen and learned so many things in modern society.

Just recalling some things I’d watched, I even remembered seeing that so-called “108 Positions” adult video with a ridiculous name.

“Ahem, no, now’s not the time to think about that.”

I pulled myself together and chose the first item: education about magic.

At that moment, light began to gather in my hand.

Wuuuuung.

The light grew brighter and stronger.

Then it flew straight toward Jenny.

Wuuuuung.

The light seeped into Jenny’s head.

Jenny quietly closed her eyes and accepted the light.

“Whew. All that’s left now is to wait.”

Now, all I could do was wait.

I had no idea how long it would take Jenny to absorb the light.

So, I just watched her in silence, waiting in front of her.

Time flowed slowly and quietly.

About three hours after Jenny had closed her eyes—

“Ah…”

Her small lips parted, and a soft gasp slipped out.

I quickly brought up Jenny’s status window.

Name: Jenny

Race: Human (Slave)

Level: 311

Stats: Strength 20, Stamina 32, Intelligence 20, Mana 10

Novice Mage.

Loyalty: 100

Skills

One-Handed Swordsmanship (Lv.32) Quick Movement (Lv.32)

Since Jenny had worked so hard on the battlefield with me until now, I noticed changes in her level and stats.

Of course, unlike me, she didn’t receive stat points just by leveling up, but through her own effort she’d significantly increased her strength and stamina.

And with this latest lesson, her mana had gone up by five points.

Which meant her total mana had increased as well.

And most importantly—

There was a clear new line proving she’d become a novice Mage.

That meant she could really use magic now.

“Good.”

I was satisfied.

Now I could teach her more.

I opened the Skill window again and activated the Education skill.

The Education skill has been activated.

You can select a target to teach.

Choose the list of skills to teach.

1. Light
2. Magic Missile
3. Shield

“Oh. So she can use 1st Circle magic now.”

Just knowing I could teach her magic right away was enough to make me happy.

But among those three spells, I planned to teach her only one.

“For now, ‘Light’ is the best choice.”

I had no intention of teaching her offensive or support spells.

The reason was obvious—it was far more efficient for me to cast them myself.

It might sound self-congratulatory, but I really was exceptional.

When it came to raising proficiency, I simply had conditions that let me stay ahead of anyone else.

So why teach Jenny those spells? That would just be a loss for me.

Especially for attack spells, given her small mana pool, she’d only be able to cast one or two at most, and they wouldn’t be powerful.

“Well, with effort she’ll get better.”

I’d shown her the path, so from now on, it was Jenny’s responsibility to walk it.

If she worked hard and kept advancing, her mana would increase and her magic would become stronger.

Of course, that would take a considerable amount of time.

But I hadn’t taught her magic with that in mind.

“I just need to make sure she can handle simple chores on her own.”

Things like lighting a fire, or using wind to blow smoke away, simple tasks like that.

“For now, I’ll have to get her a Skill Book.”

Things like Fire, Aqua, and Wind—the basic Skill Books.

And I should learn them myself as well.

Just as my plan was coming together, Jenny opened her eyes.

“Aah…”

With a soft groan, she bowed her head.

She pressed her temples gently, as if a slight headache had set in.

I understood how she felt, so I just waited quietly.

“Solo-nim.”

At the sound of Jenny calling my name, I smiled and spoke.

“How is it? How does it feel to become a Mage?”

“I’m not sure yet. My head feels a little muddled and confused.”

“Is that so? Then I guess you’ll only know for sure once you try casting a spell.”

I selected the Light spell from the notification window in front of me.

As before, a lump of light formed in my hand and seeped into Jenny.

This time, it didn’t take long.

Perhaps because it was the most basic magic, she quickly opened her eyes.

“Light.”

Her small voice sounded hesitant.

But even with that unconfident voice, her mana responded.

A small ball of light popped out in front of her.

“Wow…”

It was her first time successfully casting a spell.

“Congratulations.”

I told her that.

Instead of responding, Jenny snuggled into my arms and, right there on the floor, expressed her joy with her whole body.

“Oh come on. It’s still broad daylight, you know?”

“So what? There’s nothing else I can give you right now.”

I was forcibly stripped of my clothes.

And from broad daylight, I had to brace my hips with all my strength.

We didn’t leave the bed until the sun was about to set.

***

We hurried out to finish our business before sunset.

First, I visited the Magic Tower and bought up magicbooks in bulk.

The first ones I bought were the basic Magicbooks that Jenny and I would need.

Next, I looked for Magicbooks related to crafting.

After all, Artifact Creation was the most profitable item I could get my hands on.

Since I couldn’t just jump into it without preparation, I planned to learn the basic knowledge from Magicbooks.

Surprisingly, the prices weren’t too high.

The recipe for creating Magic Artifacts was so well known among Mages that it was considered common knowledge.

However, the real problem was the number of books.

There were as many as ten volumes.

“Ugh, I won’t be moving much for a while.”

My back was already sore, so I figured I’d read while resting.

But that wasn’t the only problem.

This place also had a surprisingly large selection of books related to Blacksmithing, various forms of Alchemy, Tanning, and other production professions.

I bought every single one without skipping any.

Then I turned to the clerk.

“That will be 200 Gold so far.”

I still had a considerable amount left.

“May I see the 5th Circle Magicbooks?”

I showed my Noble Ring and the certificate proving I was a 5th Circle Mage of the Magic Tower.

The clerk examined them carefully, then guided me somewhere.

Where I arrived, there were only a few Magicbooks on a special bookshelf.

They were sorted by Circle, so I headed for the 5th Circle section.

Teleport.

Ice Field.

Laser.

Fire Cannon.

These were the 5th Circle Magicbooks I chose.

“One hundred Gold each.”

An outrageous price.

It was enough to wipe out almost all the money I’d saved up in one go.

But I bought them.

All for my own sake.

From now on, I’d earn money through crafting.

Even if I failed, what did it matter? Nobody is perfect from the start, so it was fine.

After finishing my purchases, I left the Magic Tower.

All that was left in my Inventory now was less than 100 Gold.

“Sigh, it goes so fast, really…”

It was time to earn money again.

But I wasn’t too worried.

The Londinium Empire was still in the midst of a conflict between the two princes, and even if not here, I could always travel from country to country and take part in battles.

Now, I was a 5th Circle Mage.

“A 5th Circle Mage who has nothing to fear anywhere.”

Currently, on the Creseria Continent, there wasn’t a single Mage officially recognized as 8th Circle.

Instead, there were about ten 7th Circle Mages, and around a hundred 6th Circle Mages.

Compared to that, there were thousands of 5th Circle Mages, but that was still a small number considering the continent’s population.

From 5th Circle upward, you were solidly in the ranks of high Mages—nobody would dare challenge you lightly.

“And I’m a Noble too.”

Even without the Count’s commission, as a 5th Circle Mage, I was eligible for Nobility.

Not that I was resentful or angry about it.

By taking part in all sorts of wars, I’d earned both growth and plenty of money.

“What kind of request will come this time? I hope it’s a big one.”

The thought of becoming a lord had faded a bit from my mind.

Thinking about yesterday’s payout made me feel stifled.

No, I just didn’t want to think about it anymore.

Now that I’d learned the production skills, maybe I should just open a workshop and make a living that way.

If I could craft just one item well, it could bring in dozens, even hundreds, of Gold.

I could leave the bothersome management to a slave, make one or two magic items, sell them, and use the profits to eat well, relieve myself comfortably, and sleep peacefully.

“How… what a wonderful life that would be.”

It was a perfect life.

If it worked out, I could live to the fullest of my abilities.

If I were still living in modern society, I could never have imagined such a thing.

Back there, life was no different from being a slave, so I was incredibly happy now.

I took Jenny with me around the market, finished dinner, and headed for the inn.

***

When we arrived at the inn, I was a little surprised.

Because there was another carriage parked next to ours.

Given the location, facilities, and food at this inn, it wasn’t the kind of place that attracted high-status people who’d arrive by carriage.

“No way…?”

I remembered that I had received a commission from Count Lakajet not long ago.

With that in mind, I realized that whoever came in that carriage wasn’t here for an ordinary request.

“Hm, hm…”

There was a strong scent of money in the air.

I entered the inn.

“Baron Solo, a guest is here for you.”

When I entered, the owner addressed me much more respectfully than usual.

I nodded and stepped inside.

There was only one occupied table among the many.

A man and two knights standing behind him.

I walked over, and the man who was seated rose and greeted me.

“Greetings. I am Baron Tams, in the service of Viscount Filton.”

“Nice to meet you. I am Baron Solo.”

We exchanged polite greetings and took our seats.