Volume 4 - CH 7

I bought a slave, but it's still too early for lunch.

I'm planning to get another slave, but that will come a little later. It would be better to try the 『Labyrinth of No Return』 with Nene, and then consider the overall balance of the party.

It would be inefficient to add two newbies at once and have to escort both of them, and only one of them can get the last kill anyway.

"Now then, let's go to the weapon shop."

Nene's initial skills, 【Fear Lv.2】, 【Negative Thinking Lv.1】, and 【Dyskinetic Lv.2】, were already removed by my【Reset Party Skills Lv.2】.

She also wanted to change herself, and it was easy to get her to agree.

I'm not sure why 【Empathy】 is a rare skill, but it doesn't seem to be a minefield skill and my skill reset won't remove it anyway, so I'll leave it alone.

"Hey look, Alec, there's another weapons store over there."

Serina pointed, surprised that there were several weapon shops nearby. Can they compete with each other and do well?

"Which one is better: ......"

It's a hassle to walk around looking for the lowest price every time. It's only a cane, and the price won't be that different.

"I think that's better. It's neatly laid out, the staff are smiling, and there are lots of customers."

Serina said, but it's a reasonable basis.

"Let's go there."

I told the shopkeeper to bring me some Magician's equipment for beginners and let Nene choose for herself from among them.

"L-let's see……"

"If you're in doubt, go with the lightest one you can find. I'll buy another one if we have to."

"Y-Yes, sir."

Oak cane, 10 gold. Cheap.

Next, is armor.

There was also a very expensive robe with jewels, but it was cheap enough.

There were three colors to choose from, but Nene didn't seem to be able to pick one herself, so I let Serina choose.

It was a bright green robe and a pointy hat of the same color.

I tried appraised it and found that it was just a piece of cloth and had almost no defensive power. Apparently, its merits were its lightness and the fact that it didn't inhibit magic.

It was also cheap at 80 gold.

"Yeah, you look like a Magician now!"

"It's like she's wearing a cosplay, though."

"Geez, Alec, why do you have to say that?"

"That's because she can't even use the skills. Next is, we'll go to the Magician's Guild."

"Yeah."

"Nene, as I told you at the inn, your role is to be a rearguard Magician. You don't have to fight up front, we'll protect you, so don't worry about that."

"Y-Yes. But, you know, I don't know any magic. ......"

"You'll have no problem with that once you level up and get some skills from now on."

I'll have her change her job to a Magician, raise her level, and if that doesn't work, I'll ask Maria to take her back.

Maria won't complain because I demanded a Magician.

"I heard that the Magician's Guild is just across the street."

Serina asked the shopkeeper where it was, so we headed that way.

"Is that it?"

The Magician's Guild was a building with a pointed roof that looked like a church.

We went inside.

"Ara~, Welcome."

A cheerful-looking woman greeted me with a smile. She was sitting at the counter, so I guessed she was the guild's receptionist.

I quickly told her what I wanted.

"I want to change job to a Magician. Can you do it?"

"Yes, it's not for everyone, but if you have the aptitude, you'll be fine. The fee including the aptitude test is free."

"Okay, she's the one."

I put Nene in front of her.

"Ara~, she's so cute. Then, I'll check your magic value then. Hmm, base ability is 7 and MP is 6. It's not impossible to change class, but I don't feel like she's suited to be a Magician. If you want, you can try to work as a receptionist."

"No, I'd rather raise her as a Magician than a receptionist. Just go through the procedures."

"Okay, okay. Then take out your adventurer card."

"Ah, sure."

Nene seemed to have her own adventurer card, and Maria seemed to be in good hands there. She was a very sexy slaver, but she seemed to be good at her job.

"Then, Nene-chan, please come to the back room."

"Can I have a look around?"

"Yes, of course."

We were curious and followed her in.

The back room was a stone altar, and there was a stern old man in a purple-blue robe.

"Murh, hoho, it's been a while since we've had a young man of quality."

"Oh, sir, the little dog-eared girl over there is the only one who wants to change job."

"What? You and the red-haired girl, aren't you the two who want to change job?"

It seems that the old man have seen through the abilities of Serina and me, but as of now, we have no plans to change jobs.

"No, it's just these dog ears."

"What a waste. Well, if you change your mind, you can come back and visit me. Now, little girl, go to this altar and pray to the god of magic."

"Yes, let's see, ......"

"Just pray to him to make you a Magician."

I say.

"Y-Yes."

Nene kneels down, folds her hands, closes her eyes, and starts praying like she's desperate.

"Huh?"

Nene opens her eyes and looks from side to side, she seems to have heard the voice of God.

"Umu, it seems you have succeeded, and you may continue your quest."

"Ah, ....... T-thank you very much!"

Nene bowed with a bang, seemingly wanting to become a Magician once.

The lady at the reception desk saw this and smiled.

"That's good. Now for the next step, you need to find a magic master or a magic school, what would you do?"

"Tell me more."

"Yes. then, come with me."

We'll sit in another room and listening to her.

"Then, I'll explain it to you. First of all, the most common way is to be taught by a Magician teacher. You'll need a recommendation for this even if you choose the magic school course, so it's better to decide. If you really want to do it for free, the magician guild can be your recommendation. However, we're also busy, so we can't give you any hands-on guidance. Also, in that case, enrolling in a top-notch magic school would be difficult as well. What do you think?"

A Magician teacher, huh.

"Fumu, I'll pay. How much is it?"

"It's pretty broad, you know? This is the list of mages. If they're a mage, it's expensive, so you could have a mage sibling and have him or her take care of you, a D rank or higher mage."

I was a little frightened when I was shown the list and the top price was a whopping 3 million gold. A class mages are all expensive.

"Why is it so expensive?"

"Hmm~, there are not many A-level teachers, but they are all busy with their own research rather than teaching, which is why the fees are so high. I think it would be better to have more instructors, too~.

"Hmm. What level of mage would a normal guy put on?"

"If you're in a fledgling party, you can often get away with a siblings mage. But you guys are well-equipped, so I'd say you're a B-rank party, right?"

"No, the only B-rank is Serina, does that make us a C rank party?"

"Hmm~, I don't suppose you're party certified? Party rank is different from adventurer rank you know."

"Oh, really? That's a pain in the ass."

"Fufu, but it'll be roughly the same as your adventurer rank, so I'm sure you'll be a C-rank party in no time."

"Yeah, well, it doesn't really matter. Is there any advantage to that?"

"Yes, there is. It's not uncommon for quests to be limited to B-rank parties and above."

"Is that so? I don't take many quests, so I don't know."

"Huh? Yeah. Are you the son of a nobleman or a wealthy merchant?"

"No, please. Don't pry into my affairs."

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry. Let's see, ah, You need magic teadcher right? What's your budget?"

"I can give you up to 100,000 if you need it. Introduce us to a reputable teacher."

After attending the Welbard Kenjutsu Dojo, I think we should get her a good master.

"Hee~, even a slave girl can produce that much. I'm impressed. So, let's put a B- or C-grade mage at the top of the budget and send her to a magic school as well?"

"What would that be like?"

"The magic school is a place where you can study magic every day. You can learn the basics, and I recommend the Royal Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Austin because they have a lot of talented mages who can compete with each other. I'm also a graduate of there. The teachers are very good at teaching, so you'll learn quickly. You can learn to use all kinds of magic."

"Is it near from here?"

"Oh, no, it's the Wizarding Kingdom of Austin, so it's a bit far from here."

"Then no. You can become a wizard just by learning some skills, right?"

"Yes, of course. But if you have a systematic knowledge of magic, you will be able to perform magic better and be a more responsive magician. Your title will also help you get better treatment for requests and jobs."

We're just starting out, so we don't need to be that much of a mage.

"Is there a magic school near here?"

Serina asked.

"Yes, there is. Every country has at least one magic school in its royal capital. The Grandsword Academy of Magic is not royal, and it's small, but it's close by."

"Then, do you want to send her there?"

"No, I don't really see the need. ...... Nene, what do you want to do?"

I don't think she'll be motivated to go there if she doesn't want to, and I'll check with her to see what she wants.

"E-errr, hmm……"

Well, she doesn't know what to do. I guess that's what happens when you're suddenly asked to be a mage.

"Fufu, If you want to be a good magician, I recommend you attend, but you don't have to decide right now. You can also enroll midway. Why don't you decide on a master first, and then consult with him while making your decision?"

"I'd like that."

"So, uh, you wanted a teacher with a good reputation?"

"Yes. Someone who can teach even a beginner with great care, please."

"Sure, sure. Oh, yes, I know it's not very polite, but there is one teacher I would recommend. She's a genius who graduated from the Royal Academy of Magic in Austin with the seventh place in my class. She's a rank B wizard, but she's probably an A in terms of ability."

"Hou~. Why haven't she taken the promotion exams?"

"Hmm, she has already taken it three times, but she failed all of them. She's not very sociable and the teachers don't like her, and her papers are very creative and a little clumsy."

"Is that how you want her to be a teacher?"

"Yes, she taught her younger colleagues well, so I think she's rather good at it. She doesn't want to take on any apprentices, though, but he's broke right now, so I recommend it. Fufufu."

"Hmm."

What should I do? It seems like a good deal, but Nene is a quiet person, and a polite and affable teacher might be better for her.

"It's fine isn't it? It's a good thing that an A class teacher is coming with us. How much does that teacher cost?"

Serina asked.

"Let's see, if you pay 10,000 in advance, you can probably catch her."

"No, that's no good. I'll have to be introduced to her once and see if she's a good fit or not, and then we'll see."

"Too bad. Then, I think Josef is a good choice. He's rank C, he's inexpensive, and he has a lot of students. He has a good reputation."

"Then, that's him."

"Okaaay, then it's decided! The address is on this memo, so you can visit him."

"Okay."

We'll go to the house of Josef the Magician.