Episode 900
“Huh?”
Arena, who had been flipping through reports with intense focus, finally looked up.
No one knew where they’d been or what they’d been doing, but they were covered head to toe in dust and sweat, their clothes all wrinkled and rumpled. The two noble heirs looked absolutely disastrous.
And standing awkwardly beside them were two unfamiliar brothers.
“What did you say? Did I just hear that wrong?”
“This is my friend Hans and his older brother Naum. Naum is a mage! I saw it with my own eyes.”
Ian calmly introduced Hans and Naum again, and the pen slipped from Arena’s hand.
She shot a look at Romandro that clearly said, “If this is a joke, stop it right now.” But instead of denying it, he just wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
“This can’t be.”
“Why not?”
Hans and Naum tensed up at the unexpected reaction. They’d come to the palace for the first time, full of hope that Naum could become a mage. But maybe life just doesn’t go the way you want.
Still, Ian squeezed Hans’s hand reassuringly. On the other side, Varsabe did the same. The three kids locked arms tightly, as if to strengthen their bond, and stared at Arena.
“This can’t be!”
“Why not?!”
Arena shouted almost in despair, punching the air.
“Ahhh!”
“…?”
“This is a record. This is historic!”
“Minister?”
“Ahem. Um. Right. The celebration can wait. Ian, how did you confirm this without the Light of Prophecy? Did you just happen to witness it?”
Arena clasped her hands calmly and looked down at Ian. The boy reported cautiously.
“I shared a little bit of my mana with him.”
“What?”
The smile vanished from Arena’s face in an instant.
Everyone except Ian instinctively sensed something was wrong. Arena frowned and asked again.
“You gave mana to a commoner?”
“Minister, I’ve learned how dangerous it is for an inexperienced mage to use magic on a commoner.”
“You still did it? I hope there’s a reason.”
“From the moment I first saw Naum, I felt it. A sixth sense. So I was sure and shared my mana. Without the Light of Prophecy, I thought this was the only way to open his soul.”
Arena’s eyebrows arched sharply. What was this kid saying? A sixth sense? Feeling it without any mana resonance?
‘Is that even possible?’
Those who have opened their mana paths can sense each other like that. But that’s only among those who have already blossomed their mana.
Naum hasn’t blossomed yet—he’s still a commoner, right? How could he have felt it? He’s not lying, is he?
‘Geniuses are different, huh.’
Arena propped her chin on her hand and nodded slightly. Since this kid’s mana level was exceptional, it was possible he had abilities she couldn’t understand.
Ian bit his lip nervously, and Varsabe and Hans gripped his arms tighter from either side. “It’s okay. If anyone scolds you, we’ll protect you.”
“Ian Hadel.”
“Yes, Minister.”
“Even if you were sure, you’re still inexperienced. So be careful with your power from now on. Pride always comes disguised as certainty. Understand?”
“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”
Ian bowed his head slightly at Arena’s stern reprimand.
A brief silence followed, then Arena smiled brightly and gently tugged Ian’s cheek. Ian’s eyes widened in surprise, while Arena grinned like she was thrilled.
“Aww, you’re adorable!”
“…Huh?”
“Let’s go! Tell everyone to gather in the backyard.”
Without even putting on her coat, Arena stormed out of the minister’s office. Ian and the others followed her in a daze. Arena ran down the hallway, banging on office doors.
“Emergency assembly! Emergency assembly!”
“Now? What happens if we ignore this?”
“You die.”
“Ugh, damn. I’ve got a mountain of work.”
“If this is just a boredom call, I’m going on strike.”
“Looks like we got another newbie. Quit the whining and get out here, you little brats!”
Bang!
The roughness of her kicking the door and shouting startled Hans, who clung tightly to Naum. They’d imagined the Magic Department would be more refined, but no.
“Bro, this place is rougher than the print shop…”
Naum just smiled faintly. He was still young and probably didn’t understand. A workplace where you could talk to your boss like that was actually a good one.
“A newbie?”
“The crazy mage from the basement?”
“No, I think they mean someone else.”
“Another mage coming? Is that even possible?”
“Guys, let’s stop pestering the minister about hiring. She must be under a lot of pressure.”
“Yeah. I hope they didn’t just pick someone up off the street and call them a mage.”
The mages grumbled but gathered in the garden. Arena faced Naum and gave a brief explanation.
“You say his path is open, so no need for the Light of Prophecy. Let’s get started. Show me your mana. Use all your strength.”
The mages watched Arena and Naum with doubtful expressions. It looked real, maybe? Some whispered to Ian.
“Ian, who is that kid?”
“He’s my friend’s older brother. I brought him because I thought he might be a mage.”
“B-brought him?”
It was like gold coins falling from the sky. The mages murmured in confusion.
Suddenly, Naum’s brown eyes turned golden, and his long hair fluttered.
Warm power surged from his fingertips. As Naum clumsily gathered his strength, a breeze stirred. The wind swirled gently around him, as if it had a will of its own.
The mages gasped in unison.
“I-it’s real.”
“A real mage!”
“Damn! Crazy!”
Whoosh!
If Ian’s mana was like a lightning bolt, Naum’s was a calm, steady gust of wind.
Ian smiled lightly at him, while Hans burst into tears, clapping wildly. Arena and the other mages were left speechless.
“No way…”
Ian wouldn’t understand. Unlike Ian’s overwhelming power that could shatter shields, Naum’s mana held a different kind of value.
Most mages can only produce a flame the size of a candle or a small orb of mana. But Naum?
“What the…”
“He’s incredible this year.”
Not just light, but controlling the wind. This was an extraordinary ability, just in a different way from Ian’s. After all, mana isn’t only for destruction.
While the mages watched in awe, Naum focused intently, feeling the power flowing through him. Then, suddenly, the phenomenon stopped.
“Ah.”
For a first attempt, it was impressive, but Naum sighed with a hint of regret as his mana faded. Still, it was something. He winked at Hans, telling him to stop crying and wipe his tears.
“Ha, damn.”
Arena clutched her forehead and collapsed forward. Ian rushed to catch her, but she jumped up and punched the air again.
“This is it!”
A long-awaited influx of new talent? No, this was more than that. These were genius rookies who could become gems with just a little polishing!
Arena pointed at the stunned mages and shouted.
“From now on, anyone who complains is in real trouble! Huh? We’ve got three newbies all at once. If you say you don’t have time or it’s too hard, it’s your death sentence. Got it?”
“W-woah!”
“Save the whining. Oh, gods, thank you so much.”
“Minister, who’s going to be responsible for that kid?”
“Usually, the senior would take charge, but as you can see…”
Ako was basically a seasoned rookie, buried in basement research, and above him was Ian Hadel.
But Ian had a mountain of things to learn, and more importantly, too much on his plate—garden maintenance, snack inventory, Kyu’s walks, office flower care, and so on.
Arena thought for a moment, snapped her fingers, and pointed at a mage.
“You’ll do it.”
“R-really?”
“What’s with the happy face? Didn’t you quit yesterday because of too much work?”
“Me? Haha, no way.”
Arena shot a sharp glare, then lightly clapped her hands as if to say everything was settled. Then she called Naum.
“You’ll start work tomorrow, right?”
“Tomorrow? Ah, I need to inform the place I’m working at…”
“Forget it. The Magic Department will send someone to handle it. Start tomorrow. Let’s get the contract signed, okay?”
Is this really okay? Naum smiled awkwardly and nodded. Arena snapped her fingers, and paper and pen fluttered down from the air.
“Before anything else, since you’re working at the palace, there’ll be a simple background check. Write your name and address here, and the employment contract is on the next page.”
Hearing “contract,” Hans peeked over and read along. He never forgot what he saw and was ready to deploy all the legal knowledge he’d picked up. Naum scratched his cheek sheepishly.
“Sorry.”
“What’s there to be sorry about? It’s fine. You don’t have to sign right now. Ian Hadel even brought a lawyer to check it.”
“It’s from the royal palace, but let’s be clear about this,” Ian said with a sly smile.
“Shall I introduce you?” he added cheerfully.
“Oh, I appreciate the thought, but I’ll pass,” I replied.
I didn’t even have money for a meal, so how could I possibly afford a lawyer’s fees?
Naum flipped to the very last page and found a sheet titled
“Strikes are allowed only twice a year at most, no stealing snacks from each other, if you borrow a mana potion and lie about not having one, you lose a hand, and don’t put off cleaning up after Kkyu’s mess…”
What on earth was all this? I tilted my head in confusion, and Arena tapped the paper emphatically.
“This is more important than the contract up front. Make sure you understand it well.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Any questions?”
“Well, um, what about the salary…?”
That was the most important question.
Arena gave an awkward smile.
“For rookies, it’s a bit low. Sorry about that.”
My expression darkened slightly. Yeah, no matter how talented a wizard, a rookie’s a rookie. The pay wouldn’t be much.
Still, it should be better than the printing shop, right? I was making twelve gold coins a year there, so if it was at least that, I could manage.
“Twelve gold coins a year, right?”
“Yes, that’s the amount for first-year employees.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I was worried it might be less, but at least the salary was the same. One gold coin usually covered a commoner’s monthly living expenses, so twelve a year was average. Plus, working at the palace would come with benefits, making it a solid opportunity for the future.
“After deductions, it should be about 100 silver coins a year.”
“…?!”
Both Hans and I gaped at the wizard’s words.
“Wait, twelve gold coins was a—was that a monthly salary?”
“Exactly.”
My face went pale, and Arena hurriedly added, almost apologetically.
“Yeah, it’s pretty low, right? Ugh, those stingy folks. Who do they think they’re kidding? Hang in there, okay? I’ll try to get a raise next year. Just don’t quit because it’s tough now.”
She was joking, but as a commoner herself, she knew how significant that amount was. Honestly, the real problem wasn’t the money—it was the overtime and business trips that left no time to spend it. Arena always hid that truth behind a forced smile.
Still, if I could survive long enough to retire someday, I’d finally be able to live happily in my later years. That was the dream all wizards clung to.
“Hyung-ah!”
“Hans!”
Meanwhile, Hans and I hugged each other and burst out laughing again. Goodbye, real hunger! As we cheered, the other wizards smiled faintly. They’d all been commoners once, and had reacted the same way when they first arrived.
‘Ian Hadel was so rich, he never had much of a reaction. That was kind of boring.’
Roll, roll.
The two of us tumbled around wildly until we stopped at Ian’s feet. He looked down at us with a smile, backlit by the sun, and we murmured to each other.
“Is he an angel?”
“Must be.”
“Ha ha, what are you talking about? Hans, get up. Look over there.”
Ian helped us to our feet and pointed toward the back of the garden.
“That’s the annex. Built by your ancestors.”
The building blended beautifully with the lush landscaping. Ian gestured invitingly.
“Want to take a look around?”