Chapter 44: Masterpiece

The old butler's words successfully infused this domestic melodrama with the elements of love and death.

However, the old man himself was a bundle of contradictions.

On one hand, he could not bear to witness the young lady's plight; on the other hand, he understood the consequences of defying the head of the family better than anyone else.

"So, you came up with a compromise."

Ethan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "You knew the mages of Hearth Bay would never take on such an absurd commission. By bringing her here, you could at least comfort yourself with the thought that you did your best."

This was human nature, and he had no intention of blaming the man. Still, this deal seemed destined to fall through. Although he desperately needed the town's invitation letter, Old Sen's magic scrolls were just starting out, and it was a critical time to build a reputation. Once he fulfilled this commission, the butler's fate would likely be rather grim.

"I understand," he nodded. "Then I should be off to look for my next client."

"Wait!"

The old butler shouted, halting Ethan with an icy voice. He stared fixedly at Ethan's face, partially concealed behind a masquerade mask, as if trying to pierce right through him. "You looked quite confident just now. Can you actually pull this off? Just with a few magic scrolls? I don't know who you studied elemental evocation magic under, but you are dealing with a Grand Magus of the Astrologers' Guild!"

Ethan had seen right through his intentions.

He had watched the young lady grow up and cared for her like his own granddaughter; naturally, he could not resist her desperate pleas. Yet, he also knew that no one could help her now—neither the capital nor Hearth Bay had such a person.

Until Ethan spoke so boastfully before them just moments ago.

Willing to accept payment only after the deed was done?

This was a promise made only by someone supremely confident, though the old man still had no idea where that confidence came from.

He wore a stern face, deliberately making his tone sound fierce. "You should know the consequences of deceiving a noble. If you let the young lady down, I will hunt you down even if it costs me my old life."

"You must know what it means once this matter is accomplished?"

Ethan was somewhat surprised; it was necessary to remind him of the consequences.

"I have my own ways. If you are worried about the payment afterward, even if I cannot come personally, I will entrust someone to deliver it to you... Tell me, how much do you want?"

"I want an invitation letter to enter the town."

A profound glint flashed in the old butler's eyes. This answer was enough to explain many things.

This element-evoker who had appeared out of nowhere was not a noble, nor was he evidently a graduate of the "Academy"—otherwise, if he had performed well enough during his school days, numerous families would have already thrown olive branches his way.

The butler still could not figure out where Ethan had learned his skills, nor did he show the slightest hesitation upon hearing the title of a Grand Magus from the Astrologers' Guild.

"Can you pull off what I need?"

***

Ethan's question pulled the old butler back to reality. After a brief moment of thought, he said, "That is not a difficult task."

"In that case, let's begin crafting them."

"Now? Right here?"

The old butler was shocked once again. In his imagination, even if the other party possessed magic scrolls capable of contending with a Grand Magus, it would still require a lengthy process of drawing and crafting. He was just about to emphasize that they only had one day left, as this elite force would set off for the imperial border by tomorrow evening.

"Not here. I need to go to the energy-storage parchment shop to buy the basic materials first."

Ethan calculated in his mind. "You should need twelve magic scrolls—nine to match wits and force with the 'evil mage,' and another three simply as a parting gift."

The old butler had mentioned this was a one-way expedition; perhaps these three complementary fireball scrolls could bring a glimmer of change to the destiny of his client's beloved.

"May I visit your workshop?"

"Of course."

...

Heisenberg was a powerful element-evoker.

Along the way, the old butler kept hypnotizing himself in his heart. To secure this commission, he had already steeled his resolve.

However...

Heisenberg entered an ordinary energy-storage parchment shop and, right before his eyes, purchased twelve of the cheapest energy-storage parchments.

Well, that shouldn't be a problem. The more powerful a transcendent being was, the more returning to simplicity their manipulation of magical power would become.

He had once visited the most famous magic scroll factory in the imperial capital, which gathered the finest illustrators on the continent. True masters always kept their true capabilities hidden beneath an unassuming exterior.

The old butler once again found a justification for this man's suspicious actions.

However, after Ethan bought the scrolls, went straight off the boat, sat down on an empty patch of ground at the beach, and simply sat there, the butler finally started to break down a little. "We are... drawing them right here?"

Every true master had their own dedicated workshop, filled with all kinds of precision drafting tools.

A workshop would contain precision measuring instruments used to observe the trajectories of magical power flows, guiding them to form patterns on the energy-storage parchment. Illustrating at a true master's level was a craft refined to the absolute extreme, requiring peerless control over magical energy, where even the tiniest mistake would lower the quality of the magic scroll.

Yet Ethan simply sat down on the sand, facing the sea like a painter sketching outdoors.

A magic scroll illustrator like this was definitely the type to be chased out of the factory by their master during their apprenticeship.

Perhaps...

Heisenberg had mastered some unknown illustration technique. After all, his magic was related to the elements, and facing the sea allowed him to communicate with nature at a closer distance.

The old butler racked his brain to make excuses for Ethan, but it was not easy.

Especially since making all twelve scrolls took only about ten minutes in total.

No illustrator in this world would treat their own creations so carelessly!

The string of rationality in the butler's mind snapped and roared. From the moment this person bought low-grade energy-storage parchments, nothing about him had resembled a professional.

However...

However!

This person called himself Heisenberg; at least the name sounded professional.

The butler could no longer think of any excuses and could only ramble incoherently in his mind. Under his gaze, Ethan had already begun instructing the young lady hand-in-hand on how to use these twelve scrolls.

"It's very simple. If the 'evil mage' chases you down, activate three frost arrow scrolls simultaneously. As for these three, they are fire-elemental evocation scrolls. Once you meet your beloved, give these three scrolls to him and tell him that whenever he encounters danger in the future, he should use all three at once."

The young girl listened extremely carefully, the light finally returning to her eyes.

It was indeed very simple, so much so that even the young lady, who had never touched elemental magic, could easily understand.

It was just a bit *too* simple. The old butler had never heard of anyone introducing magic scrolls this way.

First of all, every single magic scroll corresponded to the name of a specific spell. The higher-tier the magic, the harder it was to draw, and the higher the price would rise accordingly.

The buyer needed to know the name of the spell and then activate the magic scroll according to the needs of the situation.

This was the correct tutorial on how to use magic scrolls!

Suppressing his urge to speak, the old butler waited until Ethan finished his introduction before asking, "Did you just forget to introduce the corresponding spells for these magic scrolls?"

To even have a sliver of hope of contending with a Grand Magus of the Astrologers' Guild, one needed at least fourth-tier high-level magic.

"Technically speaking, these are Frost Arrows and Fireballs."

"…What?"

"These nine are Frost Arrows, and these three are Fireballs."