Mage? Magic Engineer!

It wasn’t impossible for Rorschach’s sources to learn the approximate location of an Empire Army Brigadier General. After all, the guys in the logistics department weren’t opposed to doing the Great Mage a small favor after being wined, dined, and gifted things in the Special Zone.

But they only dared to reveal a vague area, telling Rorschach, for instance, that the Emperor had recently awarded a medal to a new general from afar, which was delivered by express horse to the border of a certain province. Any more precise location was classified information.

In other words, Rorschach had to find him on his own.

His method was simple. He flew high into the sky, carrying Franz, and called out, "Richard? Brigadier General Richard?"

Dozens of kilometers away, Richard felt a prick in his ear, as if he were hallucinating... No, that was the sound of the Radio Communication Skill!

’Who would use a Communication Skill to call out my nickname?’ Richard felt a dazed sense of strangeness. The voice was faint and distorted, and the Brigadier General couldn’t immediately identify the speaker. It was late at night, and while Richard certainly wasn’t scared, he felt a profound sense of unease.

He thought for a moment before replying in a formal tone, "Caller, please identify yourself. I repeat, caller, please identify yourself..."

Unexpectedly, the voice quickly grew clearer. "You’ll find out in a moment..."

Richard broke out in a cold sweat. ’I’ve been targeted!’

The Radio Communication Skill had two modes of transmission. The first was a broadcast in all directions; the second was a concentrated signal sent in a conical area encompassing the target.

The first call he received and his own response had both been broadcasts. The sudden improvement in the quality of the second call meant his position had been pinpointed.

’Impossible!’ He used this Magic as often as any other Military Mage, and no one had ever been able to pinpoint a sender’s location from a single reply. For instance, even now, he had no sense of where the caller’s voice originated.

Richard shot up from his desk, expertly loaded his sidearm, and simultaneously prepared to begin Casting.

’Here he comes!’

"I’m here. So sorry to bother you this late..." The voice transitioned from the Radio Communication Skill to actual speech as Rorschach materialized from an incorporeal, high-speed flight, his forehead bumping right into the muzzle of the Short Gun.

"Whoa, whoa, Rick, it’s me! Don’t shoot!"

"If it’s you, I suppose nothing would happen even if I pulled the trigger, right?" Richard said, annoyed. "If I had called the Guards, who knows what kind of commotion it would have caused. Rorschach, trespassing on a military encampment like this is a serious offense!"

"It just shows your unit’s security is lax. Your commander is a Caster, yet you have no precautions against Mages whatsoever," Rorschach retorted stubbornly.

Richard breathed a sigh of relief. He holstered his gun and dissipated the Magic Power he had activated. Only then did he notice a pale-faced young man standing beside Rorschach, trembling all over.

Rorschach patted Franz on the back, sending a pulse of blue light into his body with the motion. "I just got back from Valois. Brought you a little local specialty."

"Your gift is a person?"

"An Empire soldier captured by the National Guard. He ended up in my hands because he went around telling everyone, ’Rorschach is my big brother.’ Franz, salute General Richard!"

"Sir!" Franz instantly snapped to attention, chest out and stomach in, and saluted Richard.

"What is all this..." Richard thought Rorschach was acting rather strangely today.

Thankfully, Rorschach finally got down to business, though he used the Communication Skill to bypass Franz. Richard’s expression shifted to one of realization and understanding. Finally, he nodded. "Alright, I understand."

He finished and turned to Franz. "By tradition, a general can bring servants trained by his family to serve as his Personal Guard. I don’t have any, but you can remain in my unit under that pretense."

"Normally, I wouldn’t make such an exception, but you have a good big brother..."

Franz immediately saluted again. "Thank you, Big Brother! Thank you, General!"

"Don’t worry about it." Rorschach patted his shoulder encouragingly. "Now that you’re under Richard’s command, you must obey your superior’s orders and follow the chain of command."

"Sir!"

Franz was temporarily given a place to sleep in Richard’s tent. Early the next morning, Rorschach covertly escorted him out of the encampment and onto a military carriage.

This was when Franz began to feel something wasn’t quite right. Still, the others in the carriage were soldiers, and after a brief look of surprise at Franz being the last to board, they didn’t react further.

Two horses trotted alongside the front of the carriage, ridden by Richard’s adjutant and another officer.

The adjutant explained the background of Franz, the last one to board. "The general has a... a relative’s kid... we’re squeezing into the military academy. He’s not an official cadet, so just treat him like an orderly. Give him all the dirty work—sweeping latrines, scrubbing toilets—and let him sit in on some classes."

The other officer was surprised. "A relative of the general? Can we really treat him like that...?"

"Hey, it’s to build character," the adjutant said, recalling the instructions from Richard (who was relaying them from Rorschach). "Give him all the dirty, exhausting jobs. Just two things: go easy on the corporal punishment, and make damn sure you keep an eye on his studies."

The officer’s eyes lit up with understanding. "Ah, I get it. He’s one of those rich kids his family can’t handle, sent to military school to be straightened out."

"Exactly. As long as you get the gist."

Meanwhile, Rorschach and Richard were strolling through the woods on the outskirts of the encampment.

"His Majesty the Emperor has completely lost faith in the Military Mages. He’s installed a set of Forbidden Magic Devices in the Imperial Palace and hasn’t taken a single step outside its walls since his ascension. Unless..."

"They’re always on?"

"Mm-hmm. The tech department had another breakthrough. The low-frequency Forbidden Magic Devices can run continuously now. That’s why I said a ’set’—there are three units in the Imperial Palace, alternating to block all Magic Power."

’Has... he gone mad?’

Then, Rorschach recalled the order placed by the Empire Army. "A while ago, the logistics department contacted me. They wanted to build over a hundred Collectors on the southern front. I told them it was impossible, so they turned around and asked about a long-term supply deal—a huge order."

"Don’t tell me it’s to power those long-running Forbidden Magic Devices?"

Richard considered this and agreed with Rorschach’s suspicion. "The Dwarf Federation, backed by the Empire, won their civil war. As part of the spoils, the Empire received a large quantity of Mithril and other rare metals... But the market price for Mithril is still sky-high, which suggests it’s all being consumed internally by the Empire."

"In that case, making Forbidden Magic Devices is a very likely use for it," Rorschach said aloud, while inwardly wondering if he could get a cut of that Mithril. ’The Empire Army wants Collectors, don’t they? And those things need Mithril, too...’

"If that’s true... a Death Magic Area will appear along the Empire’s border. Doesn’t that worry you, Rorschach Mage?"

"Not in the least. After all, they’re coming to *me* for their supply!"

"Actually, there are other technologies that can convert energy into Magic Power. They don’t necessarily have to rely on your Transmuting Dust..." Now that he was free from the Military Mage system, and especially from the Necromancer Master’s information bubble, Richard could finally access a wider range of intelligence—particularly concerning Rorschach. He was only just realizing how active his friend had been in recent years.

"I know. But they still chose a solution that uses Magic Power to block Magic, rather than one that burns coal. In fact, if they want the devices to run continuously, high-density Transmuting Dust is practically their only option."

"I wish I shared your confidence. The defensive faction is currently championing a final line of defense. Let’s hope it becomes a ’Wall of Sighs’ for the Valois people—especially their Mages."

"I’m not so sure." The arms race between spear and shield is never-ending. Besides, a continuously-running Forbidden Magic Device is bound to be less effective than one that activates instantaneously. For that reason, Rorschach was skeptical that a complete Death Magic Area could truly be created.

His next research project would be to break the taboo on Casting within a Death Magic Area.