He was led by one of his retainers to a section of the royal palace that was under the jurisdiction of the Royal Court Magicians.
As this was a national project, the process of imbuing magic was handled by the Royal Court Magicians on a rotating basis.
When Marius entered, the floor of the room, which would have been about twenty-four square meters in his old world, was covered in white fabric.
It was a stark room with only two small windows and curtains, seemingly existing solely for the purpose of imbuing magic into the nuug.
“Oh, is something the matter?”
The one who turned to him with a questioning look was Wilson, one of the Royal Court Magicians and the one on duty that day.
When Marius explained the situation, Wilson’s eyes sharpened for a split second before he quickly put on a friendly expression and turned back to Marius.
“Lord Marius, it is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard of your esteemed reputation for a long time. Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to become acquainted with you until now, but I am Wilson Albatom, a Royal Court Magician of the fifth rank.”
Marius could never have imagined that this person, who was so openly friendly, was his greatest detractor.
In Filat, those who hide their true feelings and act in the opposite manner are called “wearers of transparent masks” and are shunned. However, Wilson’s transparent mask was so expertly crafted that it would have astonished even Bernard and Ashton.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Marius Tuban. I am an ignorant country bumpkin, but I ask for your kind indulgence.”
Marius was secretly grateful for Marius’s demeanor, which was not mixed with fear, and greeted him as politely as he could.
It was the first time anyone had self-declared their rank within the Royal Court Magicians, but Marius did not find it particularly strange.
“Hmph, you naive country bumpkin. Just you wait and see.”
Seeing Marius speak in such a relaxed and awkward Taliant Language only fueled Wilson’s animosity.
For him, the position of Royal Court Magician was a prestigious one that the legendary Klaus Adler had declined when nominated, and no one had filled it since.
The unofficial reason no one had been chosen was said to be that Klaus had a falling out with the first generation Bernhardt, left Filat, founded the Kingdom of Ranleo, and then Ranleo became an enemy nation. However, Wilson paid no mind to this.
‘To hold a position no one else could reach, that is truly befitting of the Albatom family.’
Lucas and Nilson were thorns in his side, but since both were over fifty, they posed no threat to the thirty-something Wilson.
He considered Raymond, the third-ranked, to be his biggest rival.
He was certain that this country bumpkin Marius Tuban would eventually fall from grace.
‘No, *I* will be the one to bring him down. As a hero who has seen through your true nature, I will take the seat of the new Royal Court Magician.’
His obsession had reached an almost fanatical level.
The ancestor of the Albatom family was said to be a disciple of Klaus, who participated in the war against Demon King Zagan.
This ancestor did not follow Klaus when he left the country. Instead, he remained under the first generation Bernhardt and protected his ducal title and territory.
In Wilson’s eyes, this was a brilliant decision.
He reasoned that even if he had followed Klaus and helped found Ranleo, he would not have become a duke, as one could see from the current state of Ranleo.
‘Inventing a country and becoming a Marquis after fighting the Demon King? Ridiculous…’
Surely, no one was thinking about titles when fighting the Demon King.
Although Klaus was often spoken of ill in Filat, he must have fought with his life on the line for humanity and the future of the continent.
But Wilson could not even imagine such a thing.
The pride of the Albatom family as descendants of heroes had, over time, warped into a sense of privilege. Wilson’s inflated sense of entitlement had even developed into a chosen-people ideology.
“Imbuing magic into the nuug, you say…”
Wilson was not impressed even after hearing the explanation.
To him, Marius was merely a brute who had destroyed the precious nungaro through sheer force.
If Marius had somehow broken something that could not be broken, Wilson would have been astonished. However, even Wilson could tear the nungaro if he tried hard enough.
“Then, I shall entrust these five to you. They arrived just this morning.”
While it would have been better to choose a masterpiece nearing completion to belittle Marius, the nuug was a cornerstone of Filat’s vital national project.
His consciousness as a servant of the country, that they could not afford to have any more damage inflicted by a country bumpkin, outweighed his personal desires.
“The fabric is made from fibers extracted from a plant called nuug hemp. We Royal Court Magicians imbue it with simple magic to help it acclimate to magic.”
It should have been the ultimate humiliation for the illustrious Royal Court Magician to receive such a basic explanation, but the barbarian before him simply nodded, saying “hmm, hmm.”
‘Unbelievable impudence, you barbarian!’
Despite the urge to yell at him multiple times, Wilson held himself back.
Yelling would make him no different from the barbarian. Besides, he knew he stood no chance in a direct confrontation.
Marius was a monster who could defeat Lucas and Nilson simultaneously without taking damage. Wilson, who couldn’t even defeat Nilson alone, had no hope of winning.
‘As a member of the great Albatom family, I will dispose of this barbarian with a clever scheme, without dirtying my hands.’
He believed this, and never once thought that such thinking was wrong.
Furthermore, improving the nungaro was one of Wilson’s ambitions.
He couldn’t stand having his plans disrupted by some country bumpkin.
“As they say, practice makes perfect. Why don’t you try one first?”
Marius, presented with a piece of nuug right in front of him, wondered how much magic he should imbue.
‘It’s just sturdier than nungaro, that’s all.’
Even that was a poor way of putting it, and Marius didn’t know for sure.
Moreover, Marius couldn’t even distinguish between nungaro and nuug.
He could tell the difference between a bag-like shape and just cloth, but that was it.
For now, he decided to imbue the bare minimum amount of magic.
A mage would be able to perceive mana, the substance before it is converted into magic.
When Wilson perceived the restrained magic from Marius, he was so stunned that he nearly cried out.
‘Wha-what is this guy thinking… doesn’t he have any capacity for learning!?’
Wilson felt that Marius was an utter fool who had learned nothing from shattering the nungaro multiple times. But then, the next sight almost made his eyes pop out.
The nuug that had been bathed in Marius’s magic became wrinkled.
This indicated that the nuug had sufficiently acclimated to the magic.
“I-impossible…”
Wilson, forgetting all pretense, collapsed on the spot.
The line between acclimation and shattering for nuug was extremely fine, which was why it took a full month. Being able to pass just enough magic to avoid shattering it in an instant was nothing short of divine skill.
‘M-maybe… yes, it must be a fluke.’
A single word flashed in Wilson’s mind, emboldening him.
There was no way a man who had shattered nungaro multiple times could perform the delicate divine skill of acclimating nuug to magic in an instant.
With newfound resolve, he stood up.
Marius, seeing Wilson’s reaction, broke into a cold sweat, wondering if he had messed up again.
‘Even though he seemed so friendly towards me…’
He felt a pang of resentment towards his own abilities.
He was completely unaware of Wilson’s malice.
A “Sage” was not omnipotent; they could react to malice directed at them, but they could not sense latent ill will.
“My apologies for my unsightly behavior. To succeed so quickly, you truly are the Royal Court Magician.”
Wilson chastised himself, desperately trying to act normal.
He vowed to one day subject the man before him to the same, or even greater, humiliation.
Marius, for his part, decided to politely pretend not to have noticed Wilson’s state.
While hoping Wilson would also pretend not to notice what he himself had done.
“Not at all, the fault is mine. My ignorance led me to foolish actions.”
Unsure of how else to respond, Marius offered an apology, which only poured fuel on Wilson’s flames of animosity.
‘He doesn’t even know how to make amends, the barbarian! It truly was a fluke!’
To humiliate him, a member of the great and noble Albatom family, and then offer such a half-hearted apology was unforgivable.
He decided to try offering him more, convinced that Marius would soon reveal his true incompetence.
“Please, try the others as well. With Lord Marius’s power, we can increase production efficiency! To bring further prosperity to this country!”
Marius did not question Wilson’s grand pronouncements.
This was because he had seen such grand reactions many times before. It was the difference between someone born and raised as an ordinary person and someone who had been trained in subtle manipulations since childhood.
“Very well, I shall.”
Marius took the second piece of nuug in his hand and imbued it with magic just as he had before.
The second piece also became wrinkled and curled.
‘N-no… no way.’
Being the second time, Wilson managed to suppress his surprise, but his heart was thoroughly crushed.
In the end, Marius succeeded five times in a row.
Wilson, who had witnessed this, slumped his shoulders in defeat.
‘I-it’s impossible… to perform such divine skills repeatedly… there’s no way such a coincidence could happen so many times.’
Wilson refused to acknowledge Marius’s ability as anything other than luck, despite all he had done.
It was unthinkable that a country bumpkin could perform divine feats.
This dark, twisted stubbornness was precisely why he remained only fifth in rank, though he was unaware of it.
‘N-not yet… if I add magic and create something stronger. Something stronger than Marius.’
Wilson’s obsession, bordering on resentment, still refused to surrender to Marius.
However, the negative emotions he had been hiding for so long began to overflow beyond his mask, and Marius immediately sensed it.
‘Huh? Am I being feared, or perhaps even hated?’
He surmised it was likely because some upstart had suddenly appeared and become the Royal Court Magician.
Once Marius noticed, he could discern most things.
And Wilson did not realize that Marius had seen through him.
This was because Marius’s image as a powerful but ignorant country bumpkin, devoid of sharpness, had become fixed in Wilson’s mind.
“Lord Marius, would it be alright for me to try imbuing magic onto one of the items you have made?”
This was why he asked such a question.
Once the contracted process was complete, the items had to be reported to the King and sent to the finisher.
Attempting to imbue magic without permission would result in punishment, and at the very least, the loss of his position.
Wilson intended to later claim he had been coerced by the “overwhelming power” of the Royal Court Magician to frame Marius and aim for his downfall.
There was no way to prove Marius’s innocence.
He had just arrived and was an ignorant bumpkin unfamiliar with Filat’s customs and laws, and Wilson had assumed Marius would fall for the trick.
“No. We should report to His Majesty first.”
Therefore, Marius’s reply was unexpected.
‘Wha-what did you say…’
Wilson was once again struck down by an unforeseen development.
It was rare for him to be so utterly defeated.
Wilson, who was even anti-royal, had established his position as a Royal Court Magician with a certain degree of awareness from the King and his retainers, owing to his own skill and adeptness in maneuvering.
Otherwise, a man like Wilson would never have been able to rise in the ranks.
However, due to the significant psychological damage inflicted by Marius, his inherent coldness, cunning, and acting ability began to falter.
“Then I shall take my leave now.”
Wilson silently watched Marius leave with the nuug, and as the door closed, he fell to his knees.
“I-I will not forgive you… I will not forgive *you*.”
He repeated whispers filled with resentment.
He, who had always sneered and called others “losers,” was now in the same state as those he had defeated. The strategist who had even used Bernard and Ashton and mocked them behind their backs was nowhere to be seen.
If the nuug and nungaro had not been related to Wilson’s ambitions, he might have shown more resilience.
However, watching his ambitions be thwarted at every turn, Wilson’s mind was on the verge of collapse.
His only support was his obsession with the pride and honor of the Albatom family.
—The nungaro that Marius had worked on could only have magic imbued into them by Marius himself, and would become popular as high-resistance items, but that was a story for later.
