Kays Translations

Chapter 14 – Magic Power Test

Inside the reception room, Owen sat in his seat, patiently awaiting the arrival of the second mage. Meanwhile, Butler Ryan was steeping a pot of fine red tea to serve their guest.

After all, the visitor was a rare fire-element mage in Bianshu Town—they couldn’t afford to be careless. First impressions mattered. If things went well, maybe she’d stay after the two-month commission and continue contributing to the town.

Before long, Owen’s personal guard stepped into the reception room and saluted with a hand over his chest.

“Marquis.”

Owen craned his neck and looked past the guard, puzzled when he didn’t see anyone following.

“Where is she?”

“That’s exactly what I came to report, Marquis.nThe girl brought along a small child. I told her only mages could enter to meet the lord, but she insisted on bringing the child with her. So I came back to ask for your instructions.”

“Another person won’t make a difference. Let her bring the child in.”

Owen didn’t mind. In fact, granting permission would make him seem generous and magnanimous.

“Yes, sir.” 

The guard took the order and left.

Hearing there was a second guest—especially a child—Ryan immediately instructed a waiting maid to prepare an extra teacup and dessert. Owen could only give him a mental thumbs-up: What a dependable guy!

A short while later, the guard returned, this time with two people in tow—a curious-looking young woman and a little girl with twin braids.

Once inside, the guard stepped aside and took up a guarding position at the door.

The two stood before Owen. The young woman looked slightly nervous, as if this were her first time inside a noble’s castle, while the little girl hid behind her, peeking out cautiously from behind her sister.

At the first sight of the mage from Dongsheng Fortress, Owen was a bit stunned. He had never seen such a shabby-looking mage—carrying a large bundle on her back, and even wearing a patched-up mage’s robe, which was usually a symbol of pride and status.

Still, she was a fire-element mage—and that was exactly what Bianshu Town needed. Owen tried his best to be polite, not wanting to offend her.

“Please, both of you, have a seat.” 

Owen gestured to the empty seats opposite him.

The young woman glanced at the chairs uncertainly and asked timidly.

“Is it okay? I might dirty them…”

“It’s fine. If they get dirty, someone will clean them.”

Only after confirming the lord didn’t mind did the young woman pull the little girl along, set down her bundle beside the chair, and sit side by side on the spacious seat.

No sooner had they sat than Ryan brought over three cups of red tea and a small cake to serve the guests. The modestly styled cake was meant for the little girl, and her tea even had sugar added.

“First, let me introduce myself. I’m the one who posted the commission—Marquis Owen Eisen, lord of Bianshu Town.”

“Hello, Marquis. I’m Fanny, the fire-element mage who accepted the commission.” 

After a pause, she added.

“And this is my sister, Lilica.”

“Miss Fanny, thank you for making the trip to Bianshu Town. We truly need your help. May I ask—what is your adventurer rank, and how long have you been an adventurer?”

Owen needed to understand her skill level so he could plan the training accordingly.

After hesitating briefly, Fanny replied.

“White Porcelain rank. I’ve been an adventurer for two years.”

“…What?”

Owen thought he’d misheard. But after Fanny repeated herself, he realized he hadn’t.

That’s right—White Porcelain, the lowest rank among adventurers.
How could someone still be White Porcelain after two years as an adventurer?

Although Owen’s commission didn’t have a rank requirement—and since the Adventurers’ Guild judged the job as non-dangerous, they naturally posted it as an open-rank commission on the notice board—it didn’t mean that just anyone who met the basic conditions should accept it.

This was, after all, a commission issued by the town’s lord. Shouldn’t you have some awareness of your own capabilities? Remaining at the lowest White Porcelain rank after two years spoke volumes.

Sensing Owen’s dissatisfaction with her rank, Fanny hurried to highlight her strengths.

“I’m really hard-working! No matter the task, I’ll do it. As for my magic power—I definitely have a lot of it. It’s just that… casting spells is a bit tricky for me…”

That last part was spoken in a near-whisper—clearly, Fanny had little confidence in her magic ability.

This isn’t about hard work, Owen thought, disappointed.
But… she said she had strong magic power. Shouldn’t that at least be tested?

After some thought, Owen looked over at Ryan and nodded.

Ryan instantly understood and stepped out of the room. Before long, he returned carrying a transparent crystal orb mounted on a stand.

He placed it on the table, then quietly stepped aside.

“This is a magic power sensing orb. Miss Fanny, I’d like to test your magic capacity, if that’s alright?”

“Yes, of course!” 

Fanny nodded rapidly, afraid he might change his mind.

“Then place your hand on the orb and gently inject some magic power into it.”

Fanny stood up and walked over to the orb. She reached out and touched it—it felt cold. Then, she slowly channeled her magic energy into the orb.

Clink—the orb emitted a soft white glow. Inside, a blue liquid began to swirl upward from the bottom like water, gradually rising until it filled roughly three-quarters of the orb’s volume—then stopped increasing.

Owen’s expression shifted from calm to amazed as he stared at the orb’s final reading.

This level of magic power was more than double that of the mage currently working in the cement workshop.
With this much magic power… how is she still a White Porcelain-ranked adventurer? He couldn’t make sense of it.

“Test complete. You can remove your hand now.” 

Owen reminded her.

Fanny let go, and the orb returned to its original state. A trace of fatigue flickered across her face as she quietly exhaled and returned to her seat.

Owen noticed that small detail sharply and recalled that she had mentioned earlier that she had trouble casting spells.

So that’s the issue, Owen nodded to himself. He was beginning to understand—but still had some doubts.

“Miss Fanny, you seem to struggle when controlling your magic. Why is that?”

“Eh? D-do I have to answer?” 

Fanny was startled—she clearly didn’t want to reveal personal matters.

“Yes. Firing cement requires precise magic control. If you’re unwilling to explain, I’m afraid I’ll have to…”

“I’ll tell you!” 

Fanny interrupted in a panic. 

“It’s because…”

Afraid of being rejected, Fanny confessed that she hadn’t completed even half of the magic curriculum at the adventurers’ academy. She had learned to control magic entirely on her own. She also shared that her parents had died and that she was taken in by relatives—but she didn’t mention almost being sold off.

Now everything made sense—it was because she’d never received proper training in magic control.

In that regard, Owen could personally teach her and lend her the relevant books. Whether she could grasp it depended on her own ability to learn. But doing so might be a waste, especially if she left after just two months, as stated in the commission—his early investment would be for nothing.

So Owen couldn’t proceed by simply hiring her as outlined in the original commission. He needed to find a way to adjust the terms.

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