3 bar menu

Chapter 271 part 1

In one corner of the facility for sorcerers affiliated with the Barony of Bern, pitiful voices had recently become common.

In a room spacious enough for about a hundred people to comfortably lie down side by side, there were no windows. The walls, floor, and ceiling were enchanted to prevent any internal explosions or sounds from escaping outside.

Visitors to this room would likely assume it was some sort of laboratory or workshop.

「Hi hi hi」

「One hundred and one, one hundred and two, one hundred and three…」

「Five hundred high-grade Magic Stones, a thousand medium-grade Magic Stones, three thousand low-grade Magic Stones, and… the scrap Magic Stones…」

Around twenty individuals were doing their work. Some sorted out pedestal-like objects on the desk. Others repeatedly checked numbers on various documents, and some replenished magic power to the depleted Magic Stones.

This diverse group included both old and young men and women. They were all sorcerers from the Barony of Bern and were engaged in the tasks in this room.

All of them were quietly immersed in their current work.

They kept repeating their actions, almost like automatons following orders monotonously. However, when the bell in the workshop rang to signal a break, everyone wrapped up what they were doing and headed to the adjoining break room.

Though breaks could be taken at any time, everyone adhered to the mandated schedule of one break at midday and another in the afternoon.

In the break room, where incense with the effect of calming the mind was burned, was equipped with everything from long benches and circular sofas to books for entertainment and games like Sugoroku, card games, and Shogi.

And, of course, adjacent to the break room was the renowned bathhouse of the Barony of Bern. Some people were heading to the bathhouse first to heal their physical and mental fatigue and dirt, humming and looking cheerful.

In the dining area, part of the break room, chefs were working in shifts to prepare fresh meals ready to be served at any time. The menu included a porridge rich in cheese and mushrooms, fried river fish with various sauces, a vegetable and bean soup featuring ten types of vegetables, vinegared cabbage and onions, candied apples, and a selection of non-alcoholic beverages.

A middle-aged man took a seat in this dining area, and a young girl with glasses, also holding the same menu, initiated a conversation with him.
The man was Dekel, a middle-aged sorcerer who opened a small private school in Galois Town and taught students from the Galois Magic Academy. The girl with glasses was Sunan, a graduate of the Academy.

「How’s the progress on your task, Mr. Dekel?」

Dekel’s responsibility was to sort Magic Stones by purity, further categorize them by size, and process them according to the standards set by the Barony of Bern.

「Hmm, well, I guess about 70 percent to my goal.」

「Amazing! Then you’ll definitely be able to finish well before the deadline.」

「And how about you? Your work seems to be going smoothly too.」

While giving curt replies to Sunan, who was old enough to be his own child, Dekel took a mouthful of the risotto that was giving off steam and the rich smell of cheese.

The rich aroma of the cheese and the flavor of the salt and pepper were a good stimulus for his sleepy senses. When he popped a slice of candied apple into his mouth, the rich sweetness seemed to seep into his tired brain.

「My job is simply to replenish the magic in the depleted Magic Stones. The refilling is mostly automated, so I just have to ensure there’s no overfilling or underfilling. It’s quite simple, right?」

「Still, it’s a job that requires patience. Ah, it’s finally starting to feel real, isn’t it?」

「Finally starting to feel real? What do you mean Mr.Dekel?」

Unlike Dekel, Sunan was sipping her heavily spiced and sugared milk tea as she posed a question to her older colleague. Dekel responded with a wry smile.

「It’s about war. Our lord initially focused on developing the territory through tourism, but that was only for a short while. Well, it’s still continuing, though.

However, the allocation of personnel and funds has clearly shifted towards areas conscious of war preparations, and the work we’ve been engaged in is also based on the assumption that magic will see heavy use in war.

Not just us dealing with Magic and Spirit Stones, but those in the Golem Department are also tasked with mass-producing Lesser Golems and securing materials for repairs, right?」

「Ah, that’s true. Mr. Dekel, your experience really shines through in times like these.」

「I suppose you’re a bit naive or out of touch in some areas.」

「That’s quite harsh to say to a colleague!」

Sunan feigned anger at Dekel’s comment, but her light-hearted manner as she continued to eat her porridge suggested she wasn’t truly upset. Dekel, for his part, didn’t seem to take her reaction to heart.

「Well, it feels cheeky that someone younger than me earns the same wage.」

「Isn’t it fine? The pay here is much better than the average rate. Ah, after graduating from the Magic Academy, finding a job was tough. This job was like a ray of hope piercing through the darkness of unemployment.

Besides the basic pay, there’s also commission based on performance, so you must be continuously taking on jobs, right? Because the more we work, the more we earn. It’s like a dream to have this much money…」

As Sunan reminisced about her time eking out a living through part-time work, she started to tear up genuinely.

Apart from Sunan, the Barony of Bern employed numerous other graduates and dropouts from the Galois Magic Academy who struggled to find jobs. They were employed across various departments, including the Golem, Enchantment, and Summoning Departments.

In Galois, a key city in the northern part of the kingdom, apart from the people related to the Galois Magic Academy, there were also several independent sorcerers who were not associated with the Galois Government. Many of them were attracted by the Barony of Bern’s attractive offers and had become employed there.

「Many graduates like you loudly proclaim they’d work under our Lord without pay, but you don’t seem to have that disposition, do you?」

「Well, I graduated before the Baron enrolled in the academy, so I only met him after I started working here.」

Unknown to both Sunan and Dekel, the Christina they met was wearing Agrilia’s Bracelet. It greatly diminished her beauty and spared them from being utterly captivated.

Even those who had seen Christina’s real face before at the Magic Academy were under the bracelet’s influence, but somehow, the memory of Christina’s face was so deeply embedded that it automatically resurfaced. Even now, those people have still been captivated in a charmed, dreamlike state.

「Those guys, they’re a bit eccentric. It was good that the guys I work with directly are more sensible. As you said, the offer is good enough that I considered closing my private school to come here.」

「Some of my classmates attended your private school, Mr. Dekel.」

「Well, I guess I had a decent reputation. Not to sound irreverent, but a young and inexperienced lord would likely need to rely on advisors often and be short on manpower, so I thought there might be room for me to advance if I joined up.」

「 Short on manpower… well, to put it more precisely, he’s actively recruiting as many personnel as possible. He even hired a failure like me enthusiastically. I’m speaking from real experience here, so believe me when I say that’s certainly true.」

「But it turns out he’s much more skilled at handling roughians like us than I expected. On top of that, all the top brass around the Lord are extraordinarily capable. Among them, Aide Dran is even more capable than rumors suggest, and he can do just about anything.

Till today I’m still wondering if he’s really under twenty or if he’s some centuries-old sorcerer masquerading his age or undergoing reincarnation.」

Actually, it was a mix of both right and wrong. Dran, as a human, hadn’t falsified his age, but from the perspective of reincarnation, he was indeed living a second life.

「The aide can really do anything, can’t he? As an alumnus, I’m proud to see the flawless result of winning every match in the Magic Tournament.

From the technique to simplify the creation process of golems without specific materials to the design and development of machinery for producing specialized Magic Stones used in magic cannons and guns to establishing a production system, he’s truly versatile.」

「I suppose it was his boldness that forged the alliance with the dragonkin of the Mores Mountains. Things are going well with the Ente Forest, and Secretary Dramina is also incredibly competent at everything. I’ve stopped harboring unrealistic ambitions here.

Well, because I can live quite pleasantly here, after all. But what about you? You don’t seem cut out for war. Will you stay here if a war starts?」

「Ah, well, I don’t have anywhere else to go, and it’s always lively and enjoyable here with all the different races. It’s a comfortable place.

In particular, I like how the Baron and those around him, without saying it, clearly don’t want to waste time and money on war without saying it.」

「We’re making all the necessary preparations, but I think peace is what our Lords really want. Peace is best, isn’t it?」

「Indeed, it is.」

Not just Dekel and Sunan, this common understanding was shared by most residents of the Barony of Bern.

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