Mage? Magic Engineer!-Chapter 34 - 31: Starlight Torch Tower

Rorschach watched as a thief burst out of the seafood section. The man flipped and weaved, not only vaulting over stalls like hurdles but even having the wherewithal to grab eggs and toss them behind him to hinder his pursuers.

’What a waste of food.’ Rorschach thought that while the fellow was agile, his actions were undoubtedly foolish. The eggs were a poor distraction and only served to swell the ranks of the chasing mob.

He was certainly fast. ’If this world had athletic academies, maybe he wouldn’t have to be a thief. He could have actually honed his talent.’

"Damn it, are you blind?!"

Rorschach was still eating, picturing a future where he and this guy would meet at the top, when the thief was suddenly right in front of him. Rorschach was blocking his path, and the thief actually took the time to turn his head and curse at him.

’Oh, so you’re the only one here with legs and a mouth?’ he thought. ’Such an expert runner? Such a pro at taunting?’

Everyone’s attention focused on the taunting thief.

Then, as everyone watched, the thief suddenly stopped running. He froze in mid-air, stuck in a bizarre posture.

A frosty mist rose up between the gray-robed youth and the thief. White ice crystals coalesced, outlining a giant hand that clutched the thief tightly.

The vast, noisy market fell silent in an instant, leaving only the sound of clucking chickens and quacking ducks. The onlookers exchanged bewildered glances.

Rorschach found the atmosphere unsettling. Fortunately, applause and cheers suddenly broke the silence. "Yeah! Let that thief get a taste of some real magic!"

More applause followed, and the shocked faces in the crowd broke into smiles as they cheered for Rorschach. The suffocating tension in the market dissipated, and the onlookers gradually began to disperse.

"So, you’re a Mage, sir!" A tall, thin man stepped out from the group of pursuers—it was the very same man Rorschach had discreetly helped when he first entered the city.

"Tie up our talented runner here," Rorschach said. "And pour some warm water on him, or he’ll freeze to death."

The thief was now covered in a layer of white frost, huddled in a shivering ball and on the verge of passing out.

"Right away, sir." The other stall owners produced some thick hemp rope and bound the frozen thief securely. A woman in a leather apron, reeking of fish and speckled with scales, walked over, gave the thief a swift kick, and snatched the small pouch from his hand.

"This thief stole Lady Aina’s money."

"He was skulking around, poking at the herring. I knew he was no good!" the woman said, giving him another kick.

"I’m Floran, the administrator of the Grand Market’s seafood section." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The tall, thin man smiled and shook Rorschach’s hand. Rorschach noted that the smile was restrained and the handshake was surprisingly light. ’Floran’s health must not be very good,’ he thought. ’No wonder he almost fell while moving those crates this morning.’

Rorschach was a little surprised. "I’m Rorschach, a Mage from the Tower of Stars. So you’re the administrator? I saw you moving crates this morning. Floran, you’re not quite what I’d pictured for a manager."

"It goes faster if I lend a hand. We try not to block the path for too long."

"That’s not what I meant... never mind." Rorschach didn’t want to delay any longer and turned to leave.

Just then, however, the fishmonger woman returned. "Mage, sir, I haven’t thanked you properly!" She was carrying two small dogfish, strung together by a cord through their gills, and held them out to Rorschach.

"There’s no need. It was no trouble at all." ’Quite literally just a lift of the hand,’ he mused. ’The hand being my [Ice Hand], imbued with Energy Deprivation.’

Floran lowered his voice. "Please, just take them, sir. If you refuse, they’ll be on edge."

Rorschach glanced at Floran, then at the woman, who was now avoiding his gaze. He sighed. "Well then, I should be thanking you, ma’am."

Floran continued, "You should get going, Rorschach Mage. If a Priest shows up, it will just delay you."

Leaving "Valuva’s Belly," Rorschach had not only filled his stomach but also acquired two dripping fish. He got a paper bag from a butcher, flash-froze the fish, and wrapped them inside—carrying them through the city center would only attract more stares.

After the gray-robed youth left, the market-goers began to buzz with discussion. "So that’s a Mage?"

"That kid was so cool when he caught the thief! If I could do that, I’d go like this... and then that!"

"You’d better not let that fatso hear you!"

"You mean the ’Wild Boar’ Cultivator? What’s there to be scared of? That guy is still sleeping at this hour."

...

Rorschach was unaware of the discussions that followed his departure. Acting on Floran’s directions, he took a horse-drawn public carriage to Prairie Avenue.

Prairie Avenue was one of the city’s main arteries, lined with tall trees and magnificent buildings. Passersby were often gentlemen with canes and woolen wigs or noblewomen carrying small parasols. At the end of the road stood a tall, flat-topped tower. Its A-shaped base straddled a park, and the main body of the tower resembled an unlit torch.

’This world’s tech tree is a bit lacking, but their architecture is seriously impressive!’

Rorschach’s thoughts turned to the Sky Tree, which served as the city’s airship port. He’d heard that the Starlight Torch Tower had been built under the guidance of Dwarves hired by the Magic Guild as a gift for King Charles XVI.

Every year on the night of the King’s birthday, the very top of the tower would be lit, and magic would project a shower of twinkling lights, earning it the name Starlight Torch.

There was also an incident during its construction:

The Order Church expressed its displeasure with the Mages building such a tall structure in Valuva. The King commissioned Count Dipresy, a Red Archbishop serving in the palace, to mediate the dispute, which ended with the construction of a miniature monastery on the Sky Tree’s top platform.

All this information came from a chatty young man named Pascal, who would give you three sentences for every one you asked. He had told Rorschach that there was a famous restaurant halfway up the tower where Kano Mage took his brunch, without fail, every day.

’Breakfast that stretches until lunchtime becomes brunch,’ Rorschach thought wryly. ’A way for lazy nobles to fill their stomachs, while ordinary people have been toiling for hours!’

However, when he took the lift up to the tower restaurant, a polite waiter stopped him at the entrance. "I’m sorry, sir, but we are not open for business."

Rorschach peered past him and saw waiters moving about inside with trays. "Isn’t this brunch time?" he asked.

"It is."

"But you’re not open for business?"

The waiter fell silent, as if expecting Rorschach to understand on his own. After a moment’s hesitation, Rorschach retrieved Lionel Kano’s calling card from his Storage Ring, unpinned his Mage Badge, and handed both to the waiter.

"If Master Kano is inside, please give these to him. Tell him Rorschach is here."

The waiter nodded, accepted the items, and disappeared inside.

"My deepest apologies for the wait." A moment later, the waiter returned. He handed the two items back to Rorschach, bowed, and held the door open for him.

The extremely expensive, perfectly clear, and colorless glass could only be produced in the merchant city-states on the continent’s southern coast, and its crafting process was a jealously guarded secret. Rorschach now stood in the largest hall of it he had ever seen, all floor-to-ceiling windows. It was no wonder a restaurant with a panoramic view of Valuva City was so popular.

But right now, it had only a single customer: a portly man in a loose white shirt, who was intently spreading chestnut jam on a small scone. His meticulously groomed mustache twitched with every movement of his mouth. The table was also laden with grilled fish, bean puree with a meat sauce, sliced and layered baked vegetables, and a bowl of thick soup with unidentifiable ingredients.

’This must be Master Kano,’ Rorschach thought. Just then, Kano spoke, his mouth for once not occupied with eating. "Sit, Rorschach."

As he spoke, the waiter who had been standing at his side pulled out the chair opposite the Great Mage for Rorschach. Another waiter set down a plate, along with a silver knife, fork, and spoon.