Vashia opened her mouth, but there was no hostility, only pure surprise.
“You’re a despicable one. And do you really think we Kumin tribe would just hand it over to you?”
“The Jewel is just a useless pebble unless it becomes a magic staff. And if the source is left alone, it will eventually be discovered and destroyed by the empire or other countries. For the Kumin tribe, the existence of the Jewel is a disadvantage.”
Resources are always targeted, and for those without the power to protect them, they can become a poison.
“……”
“Of course, I’m not saying to hand it over for free. To keep it secret, I’ll secure an exclusive route, but I’d like to buy it at a price higher than the standard market price in the empire.”
“…I don’t understand. What exactly are you trying to do? If you’re just going to buy it cheap and resell it, that would result in a loss. What’s the point of doing that?”
Vashia voiced a pure question. Hazen thought she was a good chieftain. Her question had no malice or hatred, only a desperate search for the future of her tribe.
“I want to be a buyer for you, as well as a seller.”
“…And what are you trying to sell us?”
“Magic staves. The well-crafted magic staves that you desperately desire.”
Hazen threw his own magic staff, Fang shadow, to Vashia. Vashia examined it from various angles.
“…Indeed, this is a good magic staff. I can see that. This is yours?”
“It’s the first magic staff I made two years ago.”
“In the empire, magic staff craftsmen are supposed to be under an exclusive contract system. Why can a military officer like you make them?”
The exclusive contract system is a law that [only allows the sale and purchase of magic staves through the mediation of the Magic Staff Craftsmen’s Guild]. This ensures that the Jewel is wholesaled exclusively to the Guild. Therefore, it is unusual for a military officer to be able to craft magic staves, as they cannot join the Guild.
“I stole the technique. The rest is just imitation and ingenuity. I’m confident my current skill is on par with the master craftsmen.”
During his academy days, Hazen took classes on magic staff craftsmanship. To learn the core processes, joining the Magic Staff Craftsmen’s Guild was a requirement, but Hazen did not enter into that contract magic. Of course, this is illegal.
Vashia had been listening to the explanation, but eventually fell silent and then spoke.
“So, you will manufacture the magic staves and sell the finished products to us?”
Hazen nodded with a smile. It seems he understood their intention.
“In other words, it’s better if it’s not in its raw state. You get good magic staves, and I get the processing fee. It should be a mutually beneficial transaction.”
“…Still, I don’t understand. What you’re saying is certainly a clear benefit for us. But it doesn’t seem to be a huge benefit for you.”
“No, that’s enough. As an Imperial soldier, if I can negotiate a ceasefire agreement with the Kumin tribe, I can gain considerable achievement. Right now, what I want the most is results.”
“……What if a superior-grade jewel was unearthed? Would you process it and give us a magic staff?”
A superior-grade jewel is an extremely rare jewel that is unearthed once or twice every few decades. Its value is said to be equal to that of a small country. In other words, they must have thought I was aiming for it. However, Hazen nodded unhesitatingly.
“I will hand it over. I will also establish a contract of magic. I personally don’t need a high-quality magic staff right now, as my rank is only that of a lieutenant.”
“……Now?”
“There is no deeper meaning. What I need now is the experience of making magic staves. I want the opportunity to make a magic staff using a superior-grade jewel, in order to create the ultimate magic staff.”
“……”
For Hazen, polishing his skills as a magic staff artisan is an essential task. However, it inevitably requires high-quality jewels. Jewels are usually sold to the magic staff artisan’s guild, so they are hard to obtain. Therefore, he has to buy them at over 10 times the normal price on the black market.
Buying the jewels himself and manufacturing them would be far too costly.
“I see. You seem to be an interesting man. Your criteria for judgment and values are clearly deviating from those of an Imperial soldier……Who are you?”
“Just an Imperial soldier. I’m only doing what’s necessary to reach the top.”
“Is what you’re doing bringing benefits to the Empire?”
“Honestly, I don’t care about the Empire’s benefits. I’m merely using the Empire for my own gain.”
Hazen always aims to maximize his own interests by using the Empire. He has no intention of dedicating himself to the Empire.
“I see.”
“So, you’ve accepted that?”
“No. We are a warrior clan. The weak are not worthy of trust.”
“I see. So, what’s next?”
“A duel. To determine whether you are just a reckless fool……or a true hero.”
“Understood. Then, who is the strongest here, excluding the Queen?”
“……A lieutenant-ranked Imperial soldier is going to fight our Number 2?”
“Even so, I’m a bit reserved. After all, a 10th-grade jewel would have made me uncomfortable facing you.”
Hazen chuckled defiantly.
Vashia raised her hand, and the Kumin tribe’s blades were drawn. However, they remained pointed at Lei-Fa, as she seemed to be dozing off from the long conversation, so the threat had little meaning.
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“Olives, go.”
“Yes!”
The young Queen gave orders to the burly-looking man standing next to her. Even though they are a minority tribe, he is their Number 2. In Imperial terms, he would be about the rank of a Major.
“Let me tell you, your fangs won’t even make that ‘shadow’ magic staff twitch.”
“Well, let’s give it a try. What are the rules?”
“Rules? There are none. You just have to keep fighting until the other person falls.”
“Understood.”
As Hazen said this, he turned his back and started walking away from Olives. This was extremely vulnerable. The burly warrior clearly had a bitter expression on his face.
“Are you…underestimating me? That’s the same as telling me to kill you, you know?”
“In a duel, would a superior warrior stab someone in the back? You say there are no rules, but this is to measure my own strength. So, Olives, you can’t do anything here.”
“……”
True to his statement, Olives did not move an inch until Hazen left the tent. When it comes to controlling the situation, there is no one who can match Hazen. This is the result of his vast experience in combat.
They went out to the large square in the village and faced each other. Olives’ magic staff was a long pole as tall as himself. As he pointed the magic staff at Hazen, a huge phantom of a dragon suddenly appeared. The dragon opened its mouth wide and spewed out a massive amount of ice blades.
Hazen barely managed to avoid them, but the entire area was shredded.
“Be careful. The ice dragon has a bad temper.”
“……Indeed, I can’t win with just ‘shadow’ against this.”
The power was on a completely different level. Probably, the jewel Olives was using was 4th or 5th grade. That’s the level of a Colonel in the Empire. The quality of the magic staff may be a few levels lower, but it is still far more powerful than the magic Hazen can unleash.
“Don’t expect any mercy after the first time. Don’t think you can dodge it again.”
Olives’ words were not just bluff. This troublesome ice blade barrage can probably be fired over a wider area as well.
“……Haha.”
However.
Hazen chuckled defiantly.
***
Three years ago, Hazen came to this eastern continent after crossing the supposedly impassable Black Sea. At that time, he was stunned by the difference in the magic system. Before, releasing magic outwardly required two steps: an incantation chant and a seal sigil. The incantation chant was the process of constructing magical power generated from the magic power gate in the left cerebral cortex and verbalizing the principles of magic. The seal sigil was the process of releasing the principles of magic outwardly by drawing a symbolic sign. However, in this continent, the magic staff fulfills that role. Being able to unleash magic without the need for an incantation chant and seal sigil significantly shortens the activation speed. On the other hand, the types of magic are severely limited, so one cannot individually cast a diverse range of magic. It’s a tradeoff, and it’s impossible to say which is superior. But Hazen unhesitatingly chose the magic staff system.
“From zero… no, due to the influence of the previous magic system, I can’t even cast magic anymore. It’s a start from the negatives.”
***
“You… what is that?”
Olives looked at him with a shocked gaze.
Behind Hazen were 8 magic wands, floating in the air. Not only Olives, but all the Kumin clan were looking at it with a shocked expression.
Normally, a mage has only one type of magic wand. Even great mages only have around 4 types.
This is the common sense of this continent.
“Ah, this? Since I can’t seem to win against with Fang Shadow, I’ve decided to use this.”
As Hazen threw the Fang Shadow away, another magic wand settled in his right hand.
“Tch…”
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