Mage? Magic Engineer!-Chapter 70 - 67: Zhong Ming’s Study

Rorschach and Kano were quietly invited to Charles XVI’s study. If they had been ministers instead of Mages, an invitation to this place would have signified immense favor and trust. The dignitaries of Valuva jokingly called this small room the Kingdom’s true Secretariat.

Rorschach was unaware of these intricacies. All he saw was a room filled with clocks and watches instead of books. They emitted a chorus of faint, orderly sounds from their inner workings, merging into a rhythmic, ticking white noise.

’I need to remember to buy a pocket watch...’ Rorschach thought, finally recalling what he had forgotten to do.

"Please, Mages, make yourselves comfortable." The room’s owner spoke. Rorschach took a seat in a velvet-upholstered chair, while Kano chose a small sofa and sank into it without a hint of formality.

Also in the room were a Cardinal and a guard, who stood at His Majesty the King’s side with a hand resting on his sword hilt.

"Guard Captain, relax. Go check on Nekker and the guests’ card game."

"Your Majesty, with two Casters present... You..." The Guard Captain felt it was his duty to protect His Majesty the King.

Dipresy’s expression was still grim. "I am here. Get out."

The Guard Captain immediately bowed to the King. "Your Majesty, I shall take my leave."

From his spot on the sofa, Kano watched the Guard Captain leave and carefully shut the door, then let out a cold snort. He turned to the King. "Your Majesty, for what reason have you summoned Rorschach Mage and me? You could have spoken to us at the banquet."

"A host must allow his guests to enjoy the feast. It is better to discuss business here. But while I say business, neither of you are men of the court, so let us set aside the tedious formalities!" Charles XVI then turned to Rorschach and asked:

"Rorschach Mage, I must ask you to be completely honest with me. Are there actually gold mines in the Sub-plane?"

"Your Majesty, I don’t know. Before that Apprentice presented the Dog Head Gold, I had seen no gold whatsoever in the Sub-plane. But who can say for certain that there isn’t any?"

Upon hearing this, Charles rubbed the bridge of his nose—an action he would never take in front of his other ministers. "But my Minister of Finance is convinced there is."

"I doubt that Nekker fellow even cares whether there are gold mines or not," Kano interjected from the side. "I’ve never heard of a gold mine that could be funded, built, and begin extraction within a year, much less one that gives a forty-percent return in that same year. And in a Sub-plane, no less."

The room fell silent for a moment, leaving only the sound of the clocks.

The King sighed, breaking the tense atmosphere. "Nekker is a bit too eager, that young man. I will speak with him. But enough of that. I hear, Rorschach Mage, that you are the son of a farmer and were an exceptional graduate of the Empire Royal Magic Academy?"

’Where did you hear that? You read my background report, didn’t you?’ Rorschach simply nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Charles tapped on the table. "Rorschach Mage, you’ve been in our Kingdom for some time now. How does the Academy in the Empire compare to the Tower of Stars?"

"The Academy is more concerned with efficiency; it wants students to graduate as quickly as possible. It wasn’t until I came to the Tower of Stars that I realized my own shortcomings and all the theory I still needed to learn."

"And the student composition? I mean, are there many apprentices at the Imperial academies from a background similar to yours, Rorschach Mage?"

Dipresy, having no patience for such an inefficient conversation, cut straight to the point. "What His Majesty means is, what if the Kingdom wanted to model a school for Casters on the Empire’s Royal Academy, admitting children of farmers, small merchants, and artisans who possess Magic Talent.

Then we would want to learn from Rorschach Mage: how do the curriculum and academic system of the Imperial academies differ from those of the Tower of Stars and other Magic Towers? And"—Dipresy fixed his gaze on Kano for the last part—"is the Tower of Stars willing to assist the Kingdom in establishing this academy?"

"Aren’t you a Bishop of the Order Church, my lord? Why are you here discussing the matter of a magic school?" Kano asked.

"In this room, there is only the Prime Minister of the Kingdom and His Majesty. Similarly, His Majesty and I hope the students of this academy will serve the Kingdom, and not... only remember that they are Mages or Priests." ’Hey, what are you looking at me for?’ Rorschach felt offended.

Before Kano could state his position, Rorschach spoke up, taking everyone by surprise. "Your Majesty, I believe the idea of establishing a magic school is misguided."

He spread his hands. "Your Majesty, Lord Chancellor, you want to build this school for no other reason than to have a group of low-born, more controllable Mages to help the Kingdom fight the Empire. But your country has never relied on Mages to compete with the Empire, has it? Lord Bishop of Saint Miller Cathedral?"

"Rorschach Mage, we don’t wish to antagonize the Empire. We simply hope to have more Casters who can contribute to the Kingdom’s development..."

"Then you need Casters even less! A magic school is too expensive for the Kingdom!" Rorschach shook his head. "Training a Caster—the Casting Materials, the facilities—is extremely expensive. The salaries for hiring Mages to teach won’t be cheap, either. Why does it have to be Casters? And you have to go through all the trouble of screening children for Magic Talent."

He organized his thoughts before continuing. "If you really want to build a school that recruits from the lower classes, you just need to produce people who are useful in construction, mechanics, and other productive industries. The trading companies need people like that today. You could have the Major Trading Companies in those sectors sponsor the school, with the graduates being assigned to work for their sponsors.

"Have them master mathematics and the knowledge of their respective fields. Upon graduation, they can immediately be converted into the Kingdom’s productive power. If the armor for Holy Knights, the Kingdom’s food and cloth, its cannons—if all these things can be produced rapidly, allowing even the lowliest farmers to be fed and clothed, they will be grateful to Your Majesty. Then, the Empire will naturally grow wary of the Kingdom.

"Of course, the Kingdom can periodically screen the recruited students for talented children, have them learn simple Magic and alchemy technology, and then send them to the Tower of Stars to study."

Kano quickly jumped in. "This is Rorschach Mage’s own vision. The Tower of Stars has agreed to no such thing!"

"If we were to establish such a school, what field do you think we should start with for the curriculum, Rorschach Mage?"

"First, establish a school that produces teachers! The looms in the workshops will only multiply, and the furnaces for steel will only grow taller. The more people who are familiar with them, the better! To educate a large number of people on a mass scale for productive ends, you must first train enough qualified teachers."

Charles nodded. "What you say is reasonable, Rorschach Mage. In that case, we could first establish..."

"The Valuvanan Higher Normal College," Dipresy said, already writing rapidly in a small notebook. "If it doesn’t teach Magic, the Church can cooperate. I will ensure that theological courses are excluded."

The King looked a little tired. "This evening’s chat with you Mages has been very fruitful. Thank you for your suggestions, Rorschach Mage. Ah, that’s right. As a token of my gratitude, allow me to give you both a small gift. It’s a personal hobby of mine..." Charles XVI turned, took down two pocket watches, and handed them to Kano and Rorschach.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I was just thinking I needed to buy a watch. This fine and beautiful gift is exactly what I needed."

"Is that so? How wonderful!"

"Your Majesty, I still have the first watch you gave me!" Kano pulled out a glittering little gold trinket. Charles was delighted. "Ah! This is one of my early pieces, from when I was just starting out... Does it still keep good time? Let me see it, Master Kano..."

After leaving the Royal Palace, the Tower of Stars’ carriage sped through the deserted streets.

"You damn Empireist, you could have just answered what he asked. Why did you have to give him an actual, viable suggestion?" Kano was beginning to suspect his student was hoping to land an official post in the Holy Kingdom.

"Teacher, do you think establishing such a school would necessarily be a good thing for the Kingdom?" Rorschach asked, leaning back against the soft cushions.

"When I first arrived, you warned me not to get involved in the ’little activities’ of Valuva’s youth. After the children of farmers, small merchants, and artisans receive a higher education, do you think those ’activities’ will become more common, or less?"

"You just came to the Holy Kingdom to stir the pot and watch the drama, didn’t you!"

"The night is too cold. A little excitement makes it better."