The Wizard Has A Biochip

An impeccably poised butler received us as soon as we entered the castle.

Without saying a word beyond what was necessary, he led Lurdot and me through a spacious, meticulously trimmed garden.

The fragrance of the flowers blended with the damp scent of freshly watered soil, while small marble fountains scattered along the path produced a soothing sound.

It was hard to believe that the city was facing so many economic problems while looking at such a well-maintained garden.

After a few minutes of walking, we arrived at a small reception room.

It was not particularly luxurious, but it exuded elegance.

At the center stood a large circular sofa surrounding a round table made of dark wood.

Several acolytes from Distant Wind City had already arrived.

I recognized almost all of them.

Some ran shops.

Others lived quietly.

There were even a few whom I knew only by sight.

I smiled politely and greeted each of them.

Even though many of them were not exactly my friends, maintaining good relationships was never a bad idea.

A few moments later...

The main door opened.

— Welcome, my friends.

Viscount Probel entered calmly.

His face was serious.

I observed him discreetly.

A year had passed since our last meeting.

However...

Time seemed to have no effect whatsoever on that man.

His body remained sturdy.

His posture remained straight.

His presence was just as oppressive as before.

The only noticeable difference was a few strands of white hair discreetly appearing behind his ears.

— Lord of the City.

All the acolytes greeted him respectfully.

Probel smiled faintly.

— Come.

— There’s no need for so much formality.

— Have a seat.

He naturally took one of the seats on the circular sofa.

Shortly afterward, several maids entered silently.

All of them wore elegant uniforms, although they were rather daring for a formal reception.

They served hot tea, small desserts, butter cookies, and sweets made with candied fruit.

I picked up a teacup without changing my expression.

But inwardly...

What a strange meeting...

It feels more like an afternoon tea among old acquaintances than an official summons.

Even so, I remained completely calm.

The Viscount began chatting casually with everyone.

The topics ranged from trade, harvests, political rumors, and small curiosities about neighboring cities.

At first glance...

The atmosphere seemed extremely harmonious.

Then a thought crossed my mind.

This very man is known for massacring entire villages when necessary.

I had heard several rumors.

To suppress a rebellion a few months ago...

He had ordered the complete execution of an entire village.

Men.

Women.

The elderly.

Even children.

They even said that the heads had been displayed on stakes along the main road as a warning.

No one had ever dared confirm that story.

But...

No one dared deny it either.

Harmonious relationships exist only when both sides possess enough power to deal with each other as equals.

Otherwise...

It would not be friendship.

It would merely be submission.

The conversation continued for a while.

Then the Viscount casually remarked,

— Speaking of which... the Baron of Lun City has also been struggling quite a bit lately.

— Mainly because herbs are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain.

One of the acolytes beside him immediately joined the conversation.

— We’ve also heard about the problem in the forest.

— The Distant Wind Forest region is continuing to die slowly.

— Unfortunately, we still haven’t found any solution.

Lurdot rested his chin on his hand.

— I presume that’s why Your Lordship summoned us?

— Perhaps you’ve already found an answer?

The old man smiled.

— Or am I mistaken?

The Viscount let out a small bitter laugh.

— I wish that were true.

— I’ve already sent several carrier pigeons to the Royal Family.

— So far...

— There has been no reply.

— Frankly...

— I have no idea how to resolve this situation.

My heart quietly quickened.

The Royal Family...

That explained many things.

The Royal Family of the Kingdom of Urna maintained an extremely close relationship with Arcangrove Tower.

In practice...

A large portion of the missions involving the kingdom eventually made their way to the Tower.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

So this was the mission...

The mission recorded by Arcangrove Tower referred precisely to the problem with that forest.

In reality...

I had been sent specifically to investigate it.

It’s just that...

I had spent the past year completely obsessed with my research on increasing mana.

I had ended up completely ignoring my true mission.

How ironic...

While I had been producing potions nonstop...

The Viscount had ultimately been forced to rely on the city’s own resident acolytes.

Internally, I smiled with a trace of sarcasm.

But outwardly...

I simply raised my teacup and took another sip of hot tea.

Not a single emotion appeared on my face.

A middle-aged man with red hair crossed his arms.

— It’s only a mutant creature.

— Not even the Royal Family can solve this?

I immediately recognized who had spoken.

The owner of the largest pleasure house in the city.

Very few people knew it.

But that seemingly ordinary merchant was, in fact, a mage.

— Actually...

The Viscount replied.

— I personally fought one of those creatures.

— It was a mutant lizard.

— I managed to kill it.

— Unfortunately...

— It didn’t change anything at all.

His expression grew heavy.

— The forest is still dying.

He slowly clenched his hand.

— At the moment...

— The contaminated area has already reached approximately the size of two villages.

— If it continues to spread... sooner or later, the entire Distant Wind Forest will disappear.

His tone carried genuine concern.

I understood the reason perfectly.

The city’s entire economy revolved around the herbs produced in that forest.

Without them...

Merchants would stop coming.

Ordinary human pharmacists would buy from other regions.

Tax revenues would fall.

The city’s wealth would disappear.

Naturally, the one who would suffer the greatest losses would be the Lord of the City himself.

Lurdot took out a pair of glasses and put them on.

— May we examine parts of that lizard’s body?

The Viscount nodded.

— Of course.

He clapped his hands lightly.

Soon, a blonde maid entered carrying an elegant silver tray.

Resting upon it...

Were several yellowish-brown scales.

Each was roughly the size of a palm.

I picked one up.

It was cold.

Rough.

Heavy for its size.

I glanced at it discreetly.

— Biochip, analyze.

A brief electronic sound echoed.

[Beep!]

[Genetic material detected.]

[Beginning decoding.]

A few seconds later...

[Results obtained.]

[Mutant creature.]

[Estimated origin: Common lizard from the Kingdom of Urna.]

[Mutation caused by unknown environmental influence.]

[Alchemical value: Extremely low.]

[No usefulness as a magical component.]

I nodded discreetly.

So that was it.

It wasn’t difficult to understand why no mage was interested.

It wasn’t even worth dismantling that creature.

Its entire body probably wasn’t worth a single magic crystal.

And for a mage...

Benefits always came before goodwill.

Who would willingly enter an unknown environment...

Take such risks...

For virtually no reward?

The answer was simple.

No one.

If there had been any significant benefit hidden within that forest...

The acolytes of the Ghost Mountain region would have solved the problem long ago.

The fact that everything remained exactly the same meant only one thing.

The risks were enormous.

The rewards...

Insignificant.

Lurdot finished his own examination.

After a few minutes, he sighed.

— What a shame.

— It’s nothing more than a mutant organism.

— These scales have no value whatsoever to mages.

He had reached exactly the same conclusion as I had.

The Viscount looked at all of us.

There was unmistakable hope in his eyes.

— Any ideas?

Lurdot slowly shook his head.

— Most mutant organisms undergo changes due to prolonged exposure to their environment.

— These scales alone are not enough.

— We need to study the site itself.

— Besides...

— I don’t believe that this lizard is the true cause of the forest’s death.

The Viscount remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he took a deep breath.

— I offer thirty magic crystals to each participant.

— In addition...

— Five thousand gold coins.

— I ask that you investigate the forest.

His voice became more earnest.

— Consider this a personal request.

The room fell silent.

I discreetly observed everyone present.

No one seemed particularly interested.

It was exactly what I had expected.

A dangerous mission.

Little profit.

An uncertain outcome.

At last...

Lurdot smiled with quiet resignation.

— Since it’s a request from an old friend, I see no reason to refuse.

...

1396 Words