49. Wizards and Knights (3)

“It’s wrong.”

Christine rubbed the flask with her fingertips. Inside the transparent glass, a liquid resembling the color of iron was slithering. This grant was also a failure. It is fortunate that the mercury did not explode while still in the glass bottle.

Attempts to imbue a floating body with magic have been made before. However, magicians who were obsessed with research results had long since turned their eyes away, since the granting of magic to fluids was not a very practical field of research, and even if it succeeded, it would not bring about a epoch-making change.

“Can I make it on time…”

But one day, a request from a noble who came to the Mage Tower completely changed the situation. The reward was enough to make even the arrogant wizards who said they were not interested in money and that their field of interest was only the development of magic turned a blind eye. When the news reached Christine, she had no choice but to start researching immediately.

I heard that the situation at the orphanage had become difficult. I wanted to help somehow. There was only a week left. Christine immersed herself in her research without eating properly or resting for three days.

“Relax, Christine.”

The Mage Tower’s advisor put a car in front of Christine. Christine just glanced at the glass and clicked the pen. Sheets of paper with complicated spells and symbols were piled up on the table one by one.

“Is it a failure even with mercury?”

The professor held up the flask curiously. As the professor moved the flask, the mercury tilted to and fro in a sticky clump. Christine scratched her frizzy blonde hair and nervously picked up her pen and poked at the paper.

“It is not an easy task to imbue magic with an unstable fluid. Even the slightest touch makes the technique unstable.”

The professor tut tut, clicked his tongue, and returned the flask.

“Earl Benning asked too much. They said they couldn’t help it if it didn’t work, but who wouldn’t do it if they risked that much money?”

In the meantime, Christine, as if devising a new method, put down the pen and picked up the flask of mercury.

“If you were a little more careful…”

As Christine concentrated and breathed magic into it, the outer surface of the mercury began to glow. She frowned and struggled to fix her mana into the inside of the mercury. Liquidity… Settle? Just then, a flash of thought pierces Christine’s mind and distracts her.

“Christine! The flask is cracking!”

Christine hurriedly cut off the flow of mana that was blowing into the professor’s words. As the professor said, there was a fine crack in the body of the flask that contained the mercury. Christine hurriedly put the flask down in a cold sweat.

“I told you, it might be better to rest. There is still a week left, so stop going back today. If you continue experimenting, you’re going to set fire to the Mage Tower.”

The professor dissuaded Christine, saying that safety accidents were not allowed, but now the professor’s voice did not come into Christine’s ears.

“Christine?”

“Wait a minute, Professor.”

Christine swayed through the stack of papers, finding a new one. Christine wrote down the formula on a blank piece of blank paper and began to write down.

“Wasn’t the idea of imbuing a movable object with a magic formula and fixing it in the first place wrong?”

At the tip of Christine’s pen, a completely new formula was born. The professor looked down at the process with half amazement and half doubt.

“You may be right… but as you know, if it is not fixed, the magic formula is bound to become unstable somehow. Who would believe and use an unstable magic technique that is eloquent and no one knows how it will change?”

Christine tore off the end of the paper and carved a very simple letter onto it. It was a text that could not be read aloud, revealing a spell. On the paper, Christine’s scribbled ink glowed brightly, and then, with a bang, a handful of ash turned to ash and burned. Christine murmured her theory as she blew the smoke away with her light wind magic.

“You can use magic like this with ink, which is a fluid.”

“What does that have to do with the research you are about to do?”

Christine picked up another bottle. It was a flask filled with clean water.

“Abandon the idea of fixing the spell in the form of mana…”

Christine glanced down at the spell she had written. It seemed like it had been two days since she had last slept, but her mind was clearer than ever.

“It is to manipulate the fluidity itself inside to engrave a spell.”

The professor opened his eyes.

“Are you saying that the flow inside the liquid is fixed in the shape of the magic formula?”

Christine nodded.

“That’s the plan to group the fluids and give them a single identity.”

The professor stroked his chin in interest.

“If you do that, the instability when separated will be resolved… and it could be a technique that can be applied to other fields unexpectedly. Like making slime for familiars.”

Christine concentrated, almost ignoring the professor’s monologue. The carving technique is the magic that illuminates the light. Christine’s mana flowed, and soon the water began to glow little by little. Christine carefully lifted the flask. The light didn’t go out. The formula didn’t change either.

Christine sighed as she looked at the paper on which the spell was written. this. This piece of paper she was holding now could save her family. Christine carefully folded the paper on which the spell was written and put it into her bosom. For the rest of the week, thinking about completing the ceremony.

A week later, Christine, who had completed the ceremony as scheduled, was welcoming the client.

The rumored aristocrat was more famous than anyone thought. Count Leon Benning, head of the famous Benning family. Of course, as a high-ranking aristocrat, he never personally came to check on such a trivial request.

Count Benning’s vassal sat down. Next to Christine was the sub-top master of the magic tower. Christine put on an uncomfortable expression, feeling the pressure from the side and the front at the same time. The count’s vassal had a conversation with the butler in a businesslike tone and voice, then turned to Christine.

“Is the method complete?”

I felt the gaze of the butopju from the side.

“Yeah. Completed. Yudongchae… That is to say, I found a way to apply a certain spell to the liquid and maintain it.”

Christine held out a few sheets of paper that had been put together like a thesis. The count’s vassal took the paper, glanced through it, and returned it to Christine.

“To be honest, since I am not familiar with the contents of the thesis, there is no way to find out the authenticity. Due to the count’s personality, even if you ask the family mages for an explanation, you won’t be satisfied unless it’s the explanation from the developer of the enchantment method.”

The earl’s vassal saw Christine.

“Magician, the Count is now in the royal capital. May I see the Count once and ask for a demonstration?”

Christine turned her head to the subtop owner as if to notice. The head of the subtop nodded without a hint of disapproval.

“Anyway, we made the magic formula that the Count requested separately, so I thought it would be good to go and demonstrate it with a few wizards from the Mage Tower.”

Christine reluctantly replied that she knew. Clearly, there were some inconsistencies in this conversation and in the request, but the important thing for Christine was not to dig into those inconsequential parts. The vassal read Christine’s expression and opened her hand as if to reassure her.

“We will give you the promised amount after the demonstration. It’s okay not to worry.”

I wasn’t worried about that though. Christine didn’t just say that. I just thought of the faces of the orphanage, the head nun and the children.

It’s okay Christine, it’s okay not to worry about the aftermath. Just think of what you have to do.

“Then, since it’s okay now, would it be okay if I take you to the Count’s villa? The sooner you get things done, the better.”

The deputy head nodded, saying he knew.

“Then, let’s send Christine along with the wizard of the magic you requested. It would be nice if the process was completed all at once, so things could be done quickly.”

The vassal put a businesslike smile on his face.

“It’s good. I’ll put the carriage on standby, so we’ll start as soon as you get down.”

The vassal said so and left. Christine turned her head from the door that closed behind her and looked at the deputy master.

“Lord of the subtop, what do you mean by a spell?”

The deputy chief shrugged his shoulders sullenly.

“It’s nothing. I just had something I ordered from Benning Street. That enchantment method and a few spells are all you need to complete it.”

Christine couldn’t go further than that. What items were ordered from Beninga, why, and what spells were given to those items.

I guess I shouldn’t have asked more.

It was all for the family, Christine was determined.

“…I’ll go down first.”

Christine said that and stood up from her seat.

Just, close your eyes today, get paid, and forget about it.

—

It was an early winter, an unusually chilly day.

Christine was sitting in the first luxurious mansion she had ever entered. Awkwardly receiving tea and refreshments delivered by servants, Christine was facing Count Leon Benning.

Count Leon Benning exuded an overbearing aura from his inorganic gray eyes. There was an aura unique to high-ranking military officers and aristocrats that made people feel intimidated just by sitting and looking at them. Christine, like everyone else, was intimidated and just watched.

When the Count asked for an explanation, he quietly explained it, and when asked a question, he only answered the point.

“great. I have heard enough of your explanation.”

The Count looked at the other two wizards who had entered the mansion with Christine. When they listened to Christine’s explanation, some of them showed admiration and others of envy.

“Did you guys fully understand?”

At the Count’s question, the wizards nodded.

“understand. If we refer to the short thesis we brought together, I think the two of us can definitely grant it.”

The Count closed his eyes as if satisfied.

“Okay then let’s start granting now.”

The count raised his hand, and the count’s servant put a flask on the table. It was a potion with a rare red light. The two wizards opened the flask while holding Christine’s thesis and activated their magic. Christine couldn’t take her eyes off the figure and raised her head at the Count’s call.

“Then you should pay the promised reward.”

A leather trunk was placed in front of Christine. When Christine carefully opened the trunk, it contained several nuggets of gold that looked much more valuable than promised. Christine stumbled upon the trunk, unable to say anything.

“Count… what the hell is this…”

The count looked at Christine’s flustered face and put on a kind smile.

“Take it. The fact that it seems more than the promised reward is my sincerity.”

“How can I…”

Christine hurriedly closed the trunk. Count Benning held out the closed trunk towards her.

“This is sincere, but if you intend to come as a vassal of our family after completing the training course at the Magic Tower, you can show the Benning family’s sincerity.”

Christine was still, her hand resting on her bag. Obviously, Earl Benning’s offer was difficult to refuse. However, the anxiety that pricked a corner of Christine’s heart like a needle did not allow her to readily accept the Count’s offer.

“I’m…”

Uh.

When Christine opened her mouth to say something, the flask containing the potion reacted violently. The two wizards took their hands off the flasks in embarrassment.

“What is it?”

“There seems to have been a bit of a problem with the stabilization process. Please wait for action…”

Christine looked at the flask. The dark red potion, like human blood, was bubbling and fluctuating wildly. Christine quickly pumped mana into her hands and grabbed the flask.

“I will take action.”

Such a sudden reaction was usually a matter of the amount of mana. After Christine inspected the enchanted state, she slowly took out the mana that was injecting too much acceleration into the fixed fluidity. The smoke escaping was black. Christine could strongly feel that something was strange through the momentary contact with the potion and the turbid flow of mana.

I haven’t been able to open the exact formula, but it’s absolutely not a general magic such as increasing recovery. No, was this structured technique called magic in the first place? Something much more primitive, fearful and intuitive. Christine knew what it was called.

curse.

A mistake of the past that is said to have been expelled from the Mage Tower and the entire magic world a long time ago.

When Christine removed her hand from the flask, the potion had already returned to a stable state. However, there was a big ripple in Christine’s pupils.

“Seems stable. So, is the endowment over now?”

Count Leon Benning asked calmly, and the two wizards nodded in reply. Christine asked, snapping the arm of one of them.

“That’s…!”

The wizard quickly shook his head.

“I don’t know what. We just… just did what the tower lord told us to do…!”

“There’s no way you don’t know what it is…!”

Christine raised her voice in indignation. It had long been forgotten who she was in front of.

“Why do you still know about that? Why on earth would you do that to a potion that should heal someone else?”

“Christine! For now, lower your voice and calm down. This is not the Magic Tower…!”

The wizard stopped Christine from getting angry. Christine could feel Leon Benning’s gaze on her.

“Some things can’t be helped, Christine Watson. You know that better than anyone.”

Leon Benning’s words weighed heavily on Christine’s shoulders. Christine gathered mana in her hand. I’d rather destroy that potion now, even if it means getting arrested…

sereung.

The Benning family’s escort knights drew their swords. Christine is stabbed with a stinging, spine-chilling murder. Leon Benning ordered them to lower their hands in annoyance. Then, turning back to Christine, the expression returned to perfect moderation.

“The escort did something useless. sorry.”

“You don’t think that destroying the potion will prevent me from obtaining another potion, do you?”

Christine’s hands stopped and trembled.

“And, more than anything else, you also had a vague idea that this would be something out of the ordinary.”

The count’s commanding tone became a dagger and stabbed Christine in the chest.

“If I had known that it was a matter of using a curse, I would not have started this…!”

“And the orphanage that raised you must have been struggling with debt and financial difficulties.”

Christine’s eyes trembled.

“Don’t lose even the chance you got by doing something stupid.”

The Count placed the leather trunk almost tossing it into Christine’s arm and tapped the bag with the palm of his hand.

“You can still consider joining our family as a vassal after the training course in the Magic Tower is over.”

“That won’t happen.”

Christine bit her lip and said.

“…Yes, just take that money and take it with you.”

I just wanted to throw it away and go, but I couldn’t. Christine clenched her hands in humiliation. The trunk in her hand trembled along with it.

Christine glared at the two wizards who came with her with a stormy look. One was looking at Christine with disapproving eyes, and the other was avoiding Christine’s gaze. Christine frowned, turned her back and left the mansion. Christine could feel the Count’s gaze stabbing into her back.

have sinned

He committed a crime against someone he did not know his face or name.

Christine’s steps staggered.

where should i go

A carriage passes in front of my eyes, dizzyingly. Christine stood still in the middle of the royal road, holding a trunk full of gold nuggets. The early winter wind was unusually chilly.

It was the very next day that she ran out of the magic tower.