Chapter 49

“Whew.”

Randell stepped out of the bath, steam rising from his whole body.

After wrapping himself in a robe and looking around, he saw a robe laid out on the table.

From noble mtl dot com

It was dyed a deep blue, and it was clearly of high quality at a glance.

He had asked the dedicated staff to buy it for him, paying them handsomely for the errand.

Flap.

[Wizard Guild, Molbeth Branch]

When he lifted the robe, a map fell out.

It was also something he had asked the staff to get for him.

‘It’s right nearby?’

It wasn’t far away, so there was no need to look at the map in detail.

The inn was located in the city center, just like the Mage Guild, probably because it was a place where Randel, before his regression, would have to work for half a year to afford a single night’s stay.

‘Since it’s mentioned, I should go out now.’

Randel put on his robe and left the inn.

* * *

“Shall I sew it like this?”

A middle-aged woman holding a knitting needle asked Randel.

She was the owner of a general store and clothing shop near the inn.

“Yes, that’s perfect. It’s near the heart.”

“But the iron plate is too hard to make a hole in, so I made a separate lining inside and created a pocket to put it in.”

“That’s very good.”

Randel examined the robe given by the owner and nodded in satisfaction.

Inside the robe, there were a total of four palm-sized iron plates attached around the heart.

The yellowish glowing thing.

‘It’s a bit unsettling since it belonged to the Hobgoblin.’

It was the metal that was attached to the staff of the Hobgoblin that threatened Randel’s hometown and met its end.

In fact, Randel had not yet solved the mystery of this metal plate.

From its properties to its patterns, nothing resembled any metal Randel knew.

And the strange characters that came to mind at that time.

∥xVD6SW―

They still come to mind, but I still don’t know.

But one thing is certain.

‘It’s insanely hard.’

Even if you chop it with a hand axe or hit it with a shock wave right in front of it, it doesn’t get a scratch.

It was perfect for protecting vital points.

‘It might save my life once in a dangerous situation.’

Randel put on the robe again and headed to his real destination.

* * *

‘It’s been a while, Mage Guild branch.’

Standing in front of the large building, Randel was filled with emotion.

The Wizard Guild is a transnational organization that does not belong to any specific country.

Thanks to this, branches of the Wizard Guild, like the building in front of him, were distributed throughout the major cities of the continent.

Not to mention the capitals of each country, they were especially present in cities where a lot of money flowed.

‘Because magic research costs that much money.’

Ding.

As Randel opened the luxurious door and entered, a light alarm magic sounded.

The first floor was in the form of a simple shop, and a wizard who heard the alarm turned his head this way.

The old wizard, whose white beard reached down to his chest, looked at Randel with curious eyes.

A young boy wearing a luxurious robe at a glance seemed to have piqued his curiosity.

“Hmm? What brings a young friend here?”

Contrary to the typical rude wizards, his tone was not dismissive from the first meeting.

Randel thought to himself that he had done well to buy the most expensive robe in the vicinity and replied.

“I came to get some necessary items.”

“Sorry, but you need a membership card to trade here.”

“Or be a wizard?”

“That’s right. You know well? Judging by your robe, you seem to be a wizard too…”

“Yes, that’s correct. …Fire.”

“Oh! The young friend’s casting is quite impressive.”

“Thank you. I don’t know what to do with myself hearing that from one of the 32 Seers of the Guild.”

“Hoho, do you know me?”

“I don’t know your name as you are a secretive person. But I have heard a bit about what the pattern at the end of your robe signifies from my parents.”

Randel glanced at the wizard’s collar.

There was a special circular pattern engraved there.

In the Wizard Guild, there is a position called Seer, which is not ranked by skill but is an honorary position.

It is a position that can be attained by having a long guild life, making special contributions, or donating a lot.

As you can tell from the name 32 Seers, the number of Seers is always 32.

The old wizard looked at his sleeve and said.

“Hoho, not many people know this. You heard it from your parents?”

“Both of them are members of the Wizard Guild. After learning magic from them, I am now on my way to enroll in the academy.”

“Not going directly to the guild?”

“I’m still lacking in skills… And I really want to hang out with people my age.”

“Of course, building connections is important too. Now, feel free to look around, young friend.”

The old wizard chuckled and stroked his beard.

Not only that, he even called down the apprentice wizard who was working upstairs to guide him.

Randell repeatedly expressed his gratitude and thought to himself.

‘Luckily, it went well.’

Wizards, especially old wizards, were notoriously difficult to deal with.

Randell, who had lived as a mercenary while being a wizard, and his master who had taught him before his regression, were exceptions.

‘He probably recognized me.’

Old wizards usually fall into one of two categories.

Either they’re obsessed with honor.

Or they’re obsessed with advancing their rank.

Seeing that the old man was holed up in the guild branch under the guise of a prophet, he was clearly the former.

‘It was worth flattering him.’

Randell followed the apprentice wizard assigned by the old wizard up to the second floor.

The apprentice wizard, after confirming that his master was not around, turned and asked.

“Nice to meet you. What’s your name?”

“I’m Sadel. Please take care of me, senior.”

“Senior? Haha, nice to meet you too.”

Randell gave a fake name to the cheerful apprentice wizard in his twenties.

Although the apprentice spoke informally, wanting to belittle Randell because his master had welcomed him, Randell actually felt good about it.

Anyone would feel that way if they were a man in their forties who had become a teenage boy and was spoken to informally.

“So, what are you here to buy?”

“Well… I need some potions.”

“Potions are on the second floor too.”

As expected of potions with exorbitant prices, one was displayed as a sample in a luxurious wooden showcase.

Randell looked around.

At first glance, it seemed like nothing special, but upon closer inspection, it was filled with artifacts.

Moreover, being the top commercial city in the central-northern region, it was directly operated by the prophet.

Even if the prophet was chosen for honor rather than rank, would he still fall victim to thieves or robbers?

“Potions are quite expensive, are you sure about this?”

The apprentice asked with a worried tone.

However, there was a hint of condescension in his voice. A country bumpkin like you buying potions?

Of course, Randel was unfazed.

If you call a poor person a beggar, they would get angry, but if you say that to a rich person, it would only make them laugh.

“I am a mage, after all. I know the price. How many do you have?”

“Enough for you to buy.”

“So, how many?”

“Fifteen low-grade, two mid-grade.”

It seemed like a small amount, but it was quite a lot for the guild branch to have in stock.

Potions are made using the blood of trolls, monsters with excellent regenerative abilities.

The blood is refined with arcane magic and mixed with various drugs to complete the potion.

Since it requires a high-circle mage and related knowledge, it was naturally rare.

“Shall I give you one low-grade?”

“No, give me all of them.”

“What? If you’re joking, stop it.”

The apprentice mage glared at him.

It was understandable since he was asking for potions that cost more than he could earn in a year.

But instead of answering, Randel took something out of his pocket.

Something the size of a child’s fist, shining silver.

And he placed it in the apprentice mage’s hand.

The apprentice mage looked puzzled at Randel, who suddenly handed him a piece of metal.

But soon, he realized that despite being metal, it felt strangely warm.

What is this, he thought as he examined the metal.

“Gasp…!”

The apprentice mage gasped.

It was mithril, a metal more brilliant and noble than silver, also known as true silver.

As its name suggests, it shone as if it was bathed in light, and if a mage couldn’t recognize it upon seeing its brilliance, they were no longer a mage.

However, even for a mage affiliated with the branch, it was the first time seeing such a large piece of mithril.

He was frozen, but only after Randel urged him did he finally come to his senses.

“You seem to be out of it. Excuse me?”

“Oh, no. It’s just that I’ve never seen mithril before…”

“My parents gave it to me to use on my way to the academy. This should cover the cost of the potions, right?”

“Of course, it will.”

The apprentice mage suddenly switched to a more respectful tone.

“Then bring me all the potions. And give me all the magic stones you have. How many magic stones do you have in stock?”

“We have about 50 of the lowest grade, 10 of the low grade, and 1 of the medium grade…”

“Then bring all of those too. The change should be around 500 gold, right? Please exchange it all for gold coins.”

“Just a moment. I’ll go check and be right back.”

The apprentice mage quickly disappeared.

* * *

“Good grief, old man. You’re really a bother.”

The seer, who had been watching Randel’s spending, kept pestering him with questions.

Where did you get the mithril? Who are your parents? And so on.

He wanted to brush it off, but he made up a plausible story with all his heart and soul.

If they found out he had no backing, they might have taken the mithril as stolen goods.

‘They would definitely do that.’

Fortunately, he managed to get through it somehow.

He had heard a lot while living as a mage, so he mixed in what he knew and created a plausible family background.

Showing a 2-circle magic spell also helped.

Being a 2-circle mage at Randel’s age would be considered a prodigy even in a prestigious family.

So they had no choice but to believe him.

‘It’s also lucky that the inn I’m staying at is the best. Since I’ve made up this story, I should stick with it… Huh?’

Thud.

Randel instinctively turned around, feeling someone bump into him.

At the same time, he reached into his pocket with one hand and started preparing a spell with the other.

He was in the middle of a busy street.

As expected of a commercial city, it was the perfect place for pickpockets.

But the pouch of gold coins he received from the guild was still in his pocket.

‘So it wasn’t a pickpocket?’

Randell lowered his hand as he watched the boy disappear into the crowd.

If his pocket had been empty, he would have appropriately zapped him with lightning.

Tap, tap.

But then the boy suddenly turned back to Randell.

He tapped the back of his head with his hand and then disappeared into the crowd.

‘What?’

Randell felt inside the hood of his robe.

There was a note inside.

[Four days later, at the old ruins of Deloya Plain outside the castle]

[Invitation number 337. This invitation is required]

[Assembly, Dawrning 3rd Street]

‘This is…’

As soon as he saw the note, something came to his mind.

It was a conversation he had a few days ago with the branch manager of the information guild.

―Ah, to participate in this auction, you need a special qualification.

―What qualification?

―You need an introduction letter and an invitation, but we can prepare that as a service.

―Then I’m grateful. Should I go to the information guild in Molbet?

―No, we will contact you.

―How do you know where I’ll be staying?

―Heh, it seems you’ve forgotten that we are the information guild.

“This… they’re scary b*stards.”

Randell chuckled.

He had expected that an introduction letter would be necessary.

This auction seemed like it was going to be unusual.

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