Magic Guild

Rudeus and the others left the Adventurer's Guild, and walked over to the Magic Guild, which was not located within adventurer's lane but instead along the street that specialises in high end luxury products.

The Magic Guild itself wasn't as big as the Adventurer's guild, but looked a lot more posh and upscale in comparison. The single large display window featured several animate mannequins that wore various accessories and clothing clearly magical in nature. A gold gilded signboard with glowing words read - "Arcane Sundries & Enchanted Oddities - Waltz Magical Emporium"

This was literally the most in your face magical place Rudeus had encountered since he was born. But at the same time, it was magic designed to be flashy and ostentatious, nor practical.

He had heard about it through the Boreas family. It was the only Magic Guild in Roa, ranked C, which wasn't terribly good and neither was it the worst.

Magic Guilds ranged from Rank E to Rank S. There was only one Rank S Magic Guild on the Central Continent, which was the Neris Magical Tool Atelier in the Duchy of Neris. A-rank Magic Guilds only existed in the capital cities of the Magic Triumvirate - Ranoa, Basherant and Neris.

B-rank Magic Guilds could be found in the capital cities of smaller countries like the Kingdom of Shirone.

A C-rank Magic Guild in Roa was appropriate, considering the lack of purchasing power of its inhabitants and lower demand from adventurers since Roa was considered to be relatively safe.

Rudeus opened the door.

The moment they entered, small, brilliant fireworks popped near the ceiling, though it let out a shimmery musical tune instead of explosions.

Caught off guard by the sudden fireworks, Rudeus tensed, ready for a surprise attack or something similar, but relaxed upon seeing nothing showing up as an immediate threat.

"Oh, welcome dear guests~ Please, feel free to browse our selection of arcane sundries and enchanted oddities as advertised. Or, if you mayhap require any assistance, I'll appear with the snap of a finger!"

A cheerful male voice with a fanciful accent could be heard, though the speaker could not be found anywhere.

The mischievous Eris, seeing the missing proprietor, decided to test his claims and snapped her finger.

A plume of smoke and glitter appeared in the middle of the store with a poof. And within the smoke was a man, dressed in robes that were colourful and had swirling designs that moved. The man himself had colourful hair in a blend of pink, green, yellow, orange and blue. He also had a moustache that curled at the ends and a distinct diamond pierced on his brow. Every aspect about him screamed ostentation.

"How may I help you dear customer?" He asked with a delicate and courteous bow.

'Teleportation magic? Nah, it was probably just an illusionary magic.' Rudeus observed.

Illusion magic was a subset of Wind Magic, and notoriously complicated to learn even for high ranking magicians. It involved changing the density of aid to refract light in a certain way and thus projecting a hologram like effect.

Upon seeing the illusion magic, Rudeus immediately had a different impression on the man. Magicians that specialized in illusionary magic were rare, and has almost certainly delved deeply into the extremities of Wind Magic.

"Wow he really appeared when I snapped my fingers" Eris commented with slight amazement in her tone.

"Hello! Is this the Magic Guild?" Rudeus asked, lacing his voice with the enthusiasm and cuteness expected of an 8 year old boy.

The man smiled, "Indeed, dear boy. This is my Magic Guild, the Waltz Magic Emporium, and I am of course its sole owner and proprietor, Christoph Waltz. How may I be of assistance?"

"Hello Mister Waltz. My name is Rudeus Greyrat. I am here to learn enchanting magic!" Rudeus introduced himself.

The man, now identified as Christoph Waltz, chuckled with the patience of a man who did not mind entertaining children, "Is that so? Well, I'm afraid learning enchantment is a difficult and long journey. You must first learn normal magic first before moving on to enchantment. I recommend attending the Ranoa Magic Academy if you wish to learn enchantment."

Rudeus grinned, "In that case. I'm already qualified. I'm a Water Saint-rank Magician!"

Christoph Waltz smiled. It was a kindly, gentle smile that also held patronising hints. "Wow really? You're a Saint rank magician at your age, that's amazing! But it takes a very long to learn magic. I'm not even a Saint-rank magician, and you already are? That's sooo amazing, who is your teacher I wonder?"

Rudeus shrugged off the condescension. He didn't want to offend the man who would hopefully be teaching him enchantment.

"Water King-rank magician, Roxy Migurdia." He answered.

"Oh wow, a Water King, that's- Wait, did you just say Roxy Migurdia?" Christoph Waltz, who had been smiling cordially widened his eyes.

"Yep! Roxy Migurdia. She taught me magic."

"Kind of short, blue hair, looks like she's 14?"

Rudeus nodded, "That's right! Do you know my teacher?"

The man smiled ruefully, "Yes, she was my junior back in Ranoa Magic Academy. I was two years above her. But though I say that, she was a genius that flattened the confidence of her seniors. You say that she is a Water King now? Whew, it seems that Roxy is still as brilliant as ever."

"Yes my teacher is amazing. She taught me everything I know about magic. I owe a lot to her."

"Uuu who is this Roxy, I have never heard of her before?" Eris muttered at the side, frowning.

Christoph Waltz reminisced in the nostalgia for a moment before turning back to Rudeus, "You say Roxy taught you Saint-rank magic? I don't want to doubt you, but it really is hard to believe you are already a Saint rank magician. What spell did you learn?"

"Water-Saint rank spell, Cumulonimbus."

"Ah yes, I heard that was the spell Roxy used to attain her Water Saint-rank Magician title. If it is a spell like that, then I could hardly ask you for a demonstration now could I? Never mind then. I will trust your words. An apprentice of Roxy would not find it amusing to lie about something like this."

"Thank you for your trust. So can I learn enchanting now?"

Christoph Waltz showed hesitance, "That is... Enchanting is not exactly a well-guarded secret, there are classes you can take at Ranoa Magic Academy to learn basic enchantment. However, every Magic Guild that specialises in enchanting also has their own unique methods. As such, enchantment is usually a guild-secret that is only taught to their members. If you want to learn basic enchantment, it is not a difficult matter. The enchantment techniques of my guild however..."

Rudeus nodded in understanding, "Fair enough. For now, basic enchantment is sufficient."

Christoph Waltz smiled, "In that case, I have some books and tomes I can lend you on the subject."

Rudeus' eyes widened, "Ah, how could I ask for something without paying? I work for the Boreas family, so I have some money."

He had been conservative with his expenditure in the last year. Other than his new magic sword, he did not spend much on anything else. Room and board were provided by the Boreas family, so he ended up accumulating a tidy sum after deducting his apprenticeship fee and remittances to his family.

The man laughed, "How can I ask for money from Roxy's apprentice, and a child, no less. It is only a loan, after all. For a child prodigy like yourself, I'm sure you will return the books very quickly. But if you were asking for personal tutoring, then that would be a different story."

Though Christoph Waltz's reasoning was sound, he actually had another motive in his heart. Loaning those books without asking for payment was also an act of investment.

Roxy, Rudeus' teacher, was now a King-ranked magician that had an extremely high status. King-ranked magicians could get the position of Royal Court Mage at any of the smaller kingdom sthey went to. So it wasn't bad to curry favour with her indirectly though her apprentice.

Rudeus himself was also a child who had immense potential, it would not surprise Christoph if he one day reached King rank or even Emperor rank magician. Investment was all about buying low and selling high. Right now, Rudeus was a very promising but undervalued stock that could potentially rocket to the moon in the future.

Rudeus felt a little stifled, not comfortable with receiving kindness from a stranger who seemingly did not want to accept payment. After the failed attempt on his life, he had grown a lot more wary and cautious. Though he had Ghislaine by his side, there still a hint of apprehension in his heart.

Yet, he was also aware that given his status as someone being targeted by a large, noble house like the Notos family, he was not in a position to refuse handouts. Especially if it was something that could dramatically improve his current position.

Deciding to be a little shameless, Rudeus hesitantly asked, "Is it also possible for me to learn illusion magic? From what I have seen, you seem like a master of the illusion arts."

Christoph Waltz was startled. There was a large difference between loaning books on basic enchantment and teaching his brand of illusionary magic. Illusion magic was something he had spent a large portion of his life dedicated to.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he was the foremost expert on illusion magic in the entirety of Roa. Teaching his secrets to someone who was not even a member of his guild was not out of the question, but he would need something in return.

"It is not impossible to teach you illusion magic and even my personal enchanting techniques." Christoph started, "On one condition."

Rudeus nodded. He knew this request would not be agreed upon so casually.

"You have to join my guild, and sign a contract."

"A contract…? What are the terms?" Rudeus mulled before asked, trying not to let the suspicion in his heart seep into his voice.

"Nothing major. You just need to promise not to spread what you learn to others without my permission, and also you cannot leave the guild for 5 years. Furthermore, you will also have to give 10 percent of your earnings from enchantments to the guild as a licensing fee as long as you are part of the guild."

These terms were actually very lenient. A C rank Magic Guild like this would usually demand a contract term of 10 years, and 15 percent licensing fee. As magic guilds went up in rank, their contact also became more severe. An A rank magic guild could even ask for life time contract and still many magicians would be willing to join.

Rudeus considered the offer carefully.

"Aside from what I can learn, what other benefits are there to join your magic guild?"

"Resources, for one. Enchantment requires a lot of alchemical reagents, magical catalysts, monster materials. While we do not offer these resources for free, you will be able to purchase them at a cost considerably lower than market price by using our distribution channels."

"You can also get access to our workshop. A good workshop is needed to maximise the success rate of enchantments. Crafting workshops of high ranked magic guilds are usually covered from floor to ceiling with amplification formations, barrier magic or lifesaving arrays in the event of catastrophic failure. While ours can't measure up to A rank magic guilds, it is still pretty impressive for a C rank magic guild."

"Members of a magic guild also tend to share our discoveries and insights. And any graduate who attended Ranoa Magic Academy would tell you that exchanging discoveries, debating theory, peer reviewing magical treatises - these are all necessary to hone your craft."

"All in all, though you have to fork out 10 percent of your earnings as a membership fee, the value of what you receive from it is worth way more."

Rudeus nodded in understanding. If put in that way, joining a magic guild would not be detrimental for him. In the first place, magic guilds had high barriers of entry. Applicants were usually graduates of magic academies that could get a job anywhere they wanted, so their conditions had to be somewhat competitive.

In terms of resource acquisition, the Boreas family residing in Roa was also capable of providing channels to purchase materials. Perhaps at an even better price than what the Waltz Magical Emporium could provide.

But what the Boreas family lacked were distribution channels to sell his created magic items. An established magic guild had, in modern terms, B2B contacts, vendors to sell their products, and a database of individuals with the net worth and interest to purchase magic items.

As for the enchantment workshop, He didn't even know the basics of enchantment yet, so he had no idea how much of an effect a magical crafting workshop would have on success rates. It could be a massive difference or it might have a negligible effect. So the access to this guile's workshop wasn't that tempting.

Most important to Rudeus, was the exchange of knowledge and sharing discoveries. Right now, his magical knowledge leaned heavily towards the practical. His theoretical foundation was the equivalent of knowing how to start a fire with sticks but not understanding it was because of friction or that oxygen fed fire. He did not know how crucial a broader foundation would be to his development of the Magic Sword style, but it might help him come up with ideas.

Although signing up for a 5 year contract with this mostly unknown man seemed thoughtless, one had to remember that Rudeus wasn't a countryside village boy anymore. He had the backing and support of Roa's Boreas family. If Christoph Waltz tried deceiving him, he would invite the full wrath of the Boreas family.

"I accept." Rudeus responded to the offer after mulling over the conditions for some time.

Christoph looked ecstatic as he replied, "Excellent! Give me a day to draft the contract. For now, you can take the books and times on basic enchantment and illusionary magic. Once you sign the contract we can begin your initiation proper and you will receive full access to our libraries and exchange insights with our guild members."

"Sounds good to me, Guild Master. How many members are in our guild?"

Christoph Waltz beamed brightly at Rudeus' use of the terms 'Guild Master' and 'our' in describing the guild.

"Two." He answered.

"Oh? So there's only one other member of our guild? Where are they?"

"Right here."

"Mm? What do you mean, guild master?"

"Well, there are only two members of Waltz Magical Emporium right now - you and me."

"...eh?"

Crack. Rudeus' mental image of being able to engage in rigorous but intellectually stimulating debates with his seniors while gathered around grimoires of arcane knowledge shattered.