The Wizard Has A Biochip

I didn’t feel the slightest bit out of place.

Despite all appearances, the atmosphere within Arcangrove Tower had changed completely.

Many Mages had disappeared.

So had numerous talented acolytes.

It was impossible for the others not to notice.

After the meeting in the auditorium, the administration had practically stopped trying to hide that reality.

Those who had left were the most promising.

Those who remained...

Those with the least aptitude.

Those of the lowest level.

Those considered expendable.

Cannon fodder.

That was the truth.

.

.

.

— And what about you?

My voice broke the silence in the room.

I looked at Lina.

She was lying beside me, using my chest as a pillow.

Her long brown hair draped over my arm while her fingers absentmindedly traced small circles across my clothes.

She remained silent for a few seconds before answering.

— Before taking on the mandatory missions, I intend to return to my family and ask for their help.

Her voice was soft.

Calm.

— Although my family isn’t famous... we’re still strong enough to take care of ourselves.

She raised her head.

Her clear eyes met mine.

— Do you want to come with me?

— If you do...

— We can get married.

— Have lots of children.

She let out a quiet laugh.

— I think my father will like you very much.

Then her smile faded.

— I’m sure I’d make a much better wife...

— ...than that bitch Ruby.

There was no genuine hatred in her voice.

It was simply...

Jealousy.

Insecurity.

I could understand.

Lina was intelligent.

Bringing someone like me into her family would strengthen her entire bloodline.

I let out a long sigh.

I gently ran my hand through her hair.

— I’m sorry, Lina...

— It’s not because of you.

— You’re beautiful.

— Intelligent.

— You come from a good family.

— But...

— I’ve already chosen my own path.

She remained still.

But I felt her body lose some of its strength.

If I accepted her proposal...

I would inevitably become part of her family.

Magical contracts.

Oaths.

Restrictions.

Obligations.

All of that would come with it.

But I carried far too many secrets.

No family would allow someone like me to keep so many secrets.

And I would never surrender my freedom.

The light in Lina’s eyes dimmed.

At that moment...

The two of us understood.

Our relationship had reached its end.

There were no arguments.

No tears.

Just...

The natural ending of two people who had chosen different paths.

After a few seconds of silence, I sat up on the bed.

— There’s still one thing I need to ask of you.

She raised an eyebrow.

I stood up.

Walked over to a cabinet hidden in the corner of the room.

Unlocked a small metal latch.

Removed a thick reinforced wooden chest.

Returned.

Carefully placed it on the bed.

— What’s this?

she asked curiously.

She opened the lid.

The very next instant...

Her eyes widened.

Dozens of Explosive Fire Crystals were neatly arranged in rows.

Their crimson glow reflected across her face.

— Explosive Fire Crystals!!

She looked at them again.

Then at me.

Then back at the chest.

— All of this... belongs to you?

I nodded.

— They’re the crystals I’ve accumulated over the past year.

It was, of course, a carefully prepared lie.

That represented only a small fraction of what I had actually produced in secret within my laboratory.

If anyone discovered my true manufacturing capacity...

I’d probably be kidnapped by someone before sunset.

I folded my arms.

— I want you to sell all of them for me.

She blinked.

— Me?

— Yes.

She stared at the crystals for several seconds.

Then a smile appeared.

— That’s not a problem.

She closed the lid.

— Actually...

— You picked the perfect time.

She crossed her legs on the bed.

— With the war approaching...

— Alchemical ingredients and spell models have plummeted in price.

— However!

— Magical artifacts.

— Explosive Crystals.

— All of those have practically doubled in value.

I nodded.

That was exactly what I had expected.

When everyone believed they might die tomorrow...

Very few people were interested in buying knowledge.

Everyone wanted to buy survival.

— After you’ve sold everything...

— Bring me five hundred Magic Crystals.

Her eyes widened.

Then she laughed.

— That’s ten percent less than what they’re actually worth.

— My family would buy all of these immediately.

She tilted her head.

— Do you have more?

— I could get you an even better price.

I kept my expression completely serious.

— No.

— That’s everything I’ve managed to produce over the past year.

— You know I need those crystals to finance my own experiments as well.

— If the market weren’t so favorable...

— I would never sell everything at once.

Lina studied my face for several seconds.

— I understand.

She closed the chest again.

— I’ll do my best to get you a good price.

I nodded.

Deep down...

That was also my quiet way of thanking her.

She would make a considerable profit as the intermediary.

It was the only compensation I could offer without revealing my true secrets.

When she finally finished putting the chest away...

We drew close once more.

No words were necessary.

We kissed slowly.

One last kiss.

When she left the room...

Neither of us looked back.

...

The following morning...

Lina returned much earlier than I had expected.

She handed me a small leather pouch.

When I opened it...

Hundreds of Magic Crystals shimmered silently inside.

I was alone once again.

I slowly shook the pouch in my hand.

The sound of the Magic Crystals clinking together was almost like music.

After thinking for several minutes...

I reached my conclusion.

It would be best to spend some of my saved crystals while I was still inside Arcangrove Tower.

There were official warehouses here.

Specialized merchants.

Laboratories.

Engineering components.

Alchemical materials.

Runes.

Tools.

Everything could be found with relative ease.

Once I left to carry out my missions...

There was no guarantee I would ever find a market this complete again.

And considering the war that was approaching...

Waiting meant risking never being able to buy what I needed.

So I immediately headed for the spell model shop.

.

.

.

.

.

Of all the purchases I intended to make, that one was undoubtedly the most important.

Equipment could break.

Potions could run out.

But knowledge...

Knowledge would remain with me forever.

The interior looked exactly the same as always.

Behind the counter, the elderly acolyte slowly raised her head.

Her wrinkled face looked even sterner than the last time I had seen her.

The moment her eyes settled on me, she spoke without the slightest courtesy.

— What do you want?

Her tone was cold.

I understood perfectly.

Those old Level III acolytes had failed to break through into the realm of the Official Mages.

After that, they had signed permanent contracts with Arcangrove Tower.

And now...

A war was approaching.

They couldn’t run.

Even if they wanted to.

I smiled faintly.

If I were trapped in that situation, I’d probably be in a bad mood too.

I rested my elbows on the counter.

— Besides the Light Shield...

— I want every basic Light-element spell model.

She raised an eyebrow.

For the first time, she looked surprised.

She probably hadn’t expected a mere Level II acolyte to purchase so many magical models at once.

After a few seconds, she replied coldly.

— Two thousand eight hundred Magic Crystals.

I nodded without hesitation.

Before she could go retrieve the books, I continued.

— I also want the Basic Transfiguration model.

She looked at me again.

— Another two hundred crystals.

Without saying a word, I removed a heavy leather pouch from my belt.

"Clack..."

Hundreds of Magic Crystals spilled across the counter.

She began counting them one by one.

Her fingers were surprisingly fast.

A few minutes later...

She carefully put every crystal away.

Then she left.

...

Some time later...

She returned, pushing a small wooden cart.

On top of it...

Fourteen large books.

Each one was nearly as heavy as a brick.

Stacked together, they easily rose higher than my chest.

I ran my hand over one of the thick covers.

Golden runes glowed faintly across the dark leather.

I think it’s about time I bought a wagon...

Or perhaps a cargo balloon.

I left the shop.

I hired a few Tower servants.

They carefully loaded all the books onto small transport carts and headed toward my room.

While they walked...

I returned to the commercial district.

...

The moment I arrived, I immediately noticed the difference.

The traffic had increased dramatically.

Acolytes hurried from shop to shop.

Merchants shouted out their offers.

Crates were carried back and forth.

Items that normally never appeared were displayed in the storefronts.

At last...

Even the slowest acolytes had realized it.

A storm was coming.

It reminded me of what happened in the forests before a great wildfire.

A few animals sensed the danger before the others.

They fled.

The rest, without understanding why, simply started running as well.

Now...

The entire Arcangrove Tower seemed to be behaving in exactly the same way.

Even those who didn’t know the real reason were desperately buying supplies.

No one wanted to be caught unprepared.

I slowly walked past the shop windows.

But as I continued...

My expectations gradually faded.

Nothing.

Not a single magical artifact.

I had always wanted to own a few.

An enchanted ring.

A magical cloak.

Runic boots.

Anything.

But magical artifacts were incredibly rare.

Whenever one appeared on the market...

The Official Mages bought it first.

And whenever a Mage decided to sell a used artifact...

The Level III acolytes practically started a silent war to obtain it.

I...

A mere Level II acolyte...

Had never stood the slightest chance of competing with them.

I shook my head and smiled with quiet resignation.

That’s all right.

My time simply hadn’t come yet.

...

1623 Words