Chapter 599 599 Some Like It Hot

Chapter 599 599 Some Like It Hot

599 599 Some Like It Hot

The stack of papers was a list of requests for a Magi or hybrid Demon's assistance to repair or upgrade inscribed spells. Most of them were simple household things, things that you would call the building's handyman for in a Fortress City, where they were nonmagical.

They also didn't cut much time off his sentence, though there was a clear categorization of the requests, like a standard payment, to let Wolfe know how much time he could shave off by finishing them.

But first they needed to see Castle Security and take care of their needs before they got to the small things and started fixing up the overlooked bits of the castle.

"How many strong hybrids do you have here in the castle region?" Wolfe asked Rail as they walked back toward the castle gates.

"We've got about fifty of them in total, but none are what you would call strong. You see, it's a conflict between their Fae and Demonic natures. They need unholy energy to grow as Demons. They need Light and nature to grow as Fae. But they can only get one at a time, and they're not welcome in Faerie unless their Fae parent claims them, so they can only grow to the beginning of Rank Two, and then they get stuck because of the imbalance." Rail explained.

Wolfe considered that as the walked. "You know, there is both unholy and Fae magical energy in Forest Grove. Perhaps we can work out a visitation schedule for them to help them balance the two sides of their nature."

"Worry about them after you finish with your own chores list. Marcus really handed you a stack, and I'm willing to bet that they're all category one tasks as well, which will only shave a few hours off your time. The tasks from the ministers and the bigger jobs from the Royal Council will be the real bread and butter of your work." Rail instructed. novE)lb-1n

She had a point. Most of the tasks had a time rating of one or two hours, so he would have to do a dozen or more every day just to cut his time in half. He really would need to do the big things if he was going to get home in a reasonable timeframe.

Once they got to the castle gates, the guard handed Wolfe a pass with his picture and a red square with a black X over it on a lanyard.

"There you go, junior investigator. That pass will get you most places, but the rest you'll need your escort for. It's good to have you here, we can always use some new magic." The guard greeted him, either unaware or ignoring the fact that this was a court mandated position.

"Thanks. If you have any tasks that need done, send them to us directly. I think Marcus is getting annoyed with all the messages coming in now that people have heard there is one of the Magi in the castle." Wolfe replied with a laugh.

"Actually, I should be in that list. The heater in the guard shack is broken." The guard replied.

Rail flipped through the requests and came up with the request, a rank one request that would take two hours off his sentence.

"It's got to be sweltering in there already, how hot do you need it? Wolfe asked.

"The guard demons mostly come from the pit demon species, we like it nearly hot enough to boil water." The guard explained.

"Well, alright then. Let me see the inscription. Oh, there it is. I see the problem." Wolfe replied with a laugh. The Demons couldn't see the inscription, so they didn't know to protect it, and over the years, their wings had worn away the ceiling enough that they had scratched out a portion of the inscription which was set under a thin layer of plaster.

Wolfe missed having his witches around. They could so easily make him a nice, solid replacement item for the inscription to be set into, but Wolfe couldn't use Earth Magic properly.

"Do you have something solid? A spare coin or a metal plate that won't tarnish or rust?" Wolfe asked.

"I can spare you a silver, but aren't the services usually paid by the castle?" The guard asked.

Wolfe nodded in agreement. "Yes, but I was thinking to make the new inscription a bit more permanent, since your companion's wings scratched out the last one from the ceiling."

Wolfe pointed up, and the Demon frowned. He hadn't considered that it might be right there, and so easily damaged. It had been broken since before he started working here nearly a decade ago, but it was too unimportant to fix.

So, he handed Wolfe a silver coin, and Wolfe got to work. First, he set a warmth charm on the coin, and then he used [Wind Blades] to carefully cut a notch in the wall, angled downward and just large enough to set the coin into.

Wolfe dropped the coin in the slot and gestured to the guard.

"Activate the spell on the coin, and it will heat the room."

The shack instantly went from tropical warmth to boiling hot, and the guard sighed in relief.

"Oh, that is so much better. I will let the others know not to mess with the coin." The guard announced as he pulled Wolfe into a hug.

"Or, when you see one of the hybrids who can use Earth Magic, get them to fix the wall over it and seal it inside. Earth Magic isn't one of my talents, you see."

If he had been planning to come here, he would have had the Witches make a set of amulets with common Earth magic inscriptions on it, so that he could activate them using [Elemental Affinity] even though he couldn't normally create them himself.

But at his level, that might not be an issue anymore. He didn't have the natural affinity, but with the spell, he should be able to do the most basic of tasks, he hoped.

Wolfe hesitated as he looked up the [Stone Shape] spell in the inheritance, and carefully drew it on the wall with the guard's pencil. Once it was complete, Wolfe used [Elemental Affinity] and activated it, closing the slot that the coin was in, but using well over ten times the mana that any other element would have taken him.

"Alright, I might not be good at it, but that was enough to fix the wall. Sorry about your coin, but it's for a good cause." Wolfe apologized.

"Money well spent. See you tomorrow, junior investigator, see you later, Rail."