Shades of the New World

Chapter 202: A proper Mage

"And how is all this regulated?" Evin asked.

"What do you mean?" 

"There are probably thousands of mages who use this in the kingdom, how do they keep track of all of this?" Evin clarified.

"Oh, that's, uhh... mostly through personnel from the Spell Committee? They collect all of the data regarding new Spells and update them every month. If you want to keep track of how your spell is doing or how much contribution points you received, you will need to make a habit of visiting the Mage Association building to check them all out," Zayev said with a sigh.

"Alright Is that all?"

"For the time being, yes. Take this paper and show it to the receptionist. She'll give you your Mage Seal and do the same for your family if they're still not 1st grade citizens. She'll also be in charge of explaining what to do with the matter of your gestures," Zayev said after filling out a paper and signing on it.

Evin thanked the old man and wished him good health to which Zayev just chuckled wryly.

He exited the room and showed the receptionist the papers. The woman glanced through them and offered Evin a seat in her compartment.

"Congratulations, Light mage Eviendra," the woman said and asked after a small bow: "Will you be sending how your spell works to the kingdom?" 

"Yes," Evin replied, thankful for the receptionist's calm attitude. He really didn't like to make fusses or scenes, unless a certain mood took over his head. 

"Then please remember to give an enclosed letter describing your spell to Earl Borna in a month and a small explanation on it. If you fail to meet this deadline, there will be a chance that you will be conscripted to a future battle or a random mission of some sorts. You will only be able to be free from the conscriptions by paying the necessary amount of gold coins," the woman said as she worked a box-like Magical Device of some sorts.

'Guess that's fair enough,' Evin thought and listened to the woman explain further.

"Moreover, you will have to visit a Secrets Keeper every year. If you have a lot to report, please create some free time for it. Most sessions end up an hour long at least."

"After the evaluation of your spell comes back, you can access the Spell category inside any Mage Association building located throughout the kingdom. There is also a branch located in the key cities of the Empire, such as: Tower City, Koidot City and Vasheen City of the East."

The woman then brought out a small stamp-like thing from inside the Magical Device and gave it to Evin.

Looking at it in detail, Evin noticed that it was a circular seal of some sorts that was decorated in a very peculiar way: half of it was made of silver while half of it was made of lodestones. Evin took notice of the fact that the lodestone seemed to shine a bit, not in the way he and other mages see, but in a way that was visible to non-mages as well. But its functionality as a source of mana seemed a bit lacking. Looking at it with some curiosity, he found a text on the bottom of the circle.

[Eviendra of Smallwall Town]

[Mage Association of the Western Kingdom]

[5/5 y. 1478]

The 5/5 before the year meant that it was the last season of the year, Winter. Since Alvox only had 10 months, it was a bit awkward to have quarters. So, they had five seasons. The year started with Cold Spring, went to Warm Spring, turned to Summer, then came Fall and it finally ended with Winter. 

"This is your Mage Seal. Since you're a half-core, half of the Seal is made of a lodestone. You can also have a new one issued when you become a lesser-imposer, or a super-imposer in the future. By possessing a Mage Seal, you will naturally receive the proper benefits and respect you deserve from most establishments. As for your family, they will also receive the benefits of 1st grade citizens," the receptionist said and gave Evin a piece of paper rolled into a scroll.

Evin didn't expected it to be the same thing his family received when they became 2nd grade citizens so he didn't bother opening it up to check it.

"Also, we have a 4th grade citizen in our house, who is basically family, what should we do about her?" Evin asked in behalf of Elina. 

The girl's situation was overall fine since she spent most of her time indoors, but Evin could still see some of the customer acting condescendingly to Elina for being a 4th grade citizen. The girl herself seemed to not mind as much, but since it didn't hurt Evin in any way, he didn't mind helping the girl out. 

And as far as he noticed, his parents really didn't seem to care about the issue that much, thinking that since they didn't mind and didn't act differently to Elina, everyone else would be the same as them. The two were weird and almost socially nave in that sense. It showed in the case with Norna, when Theor still stayed to work in the inn, even after what he tried to do to Elina. Evin really didn't know what their thought process was on that one.

"Since 4th grade citizens are usually slaves or criminals their grade does not get upgraded with someone becoming a mage. But, if you wish to grant her the status similar to your family, I suppose your parents could adopt her. After all, it's not a rare thing as far as I know. But you should go to the Citizenship bureau for more details," the woman answered after thinking a bit.

"I'll do that, then," Evin answered.

"Oh, and also, you should also know that since you became a mage, your opinions and decisions would be more respected compared to the ones of your parents, even though they're technically your guardians. Moreover, since you're already a half-core, who is already distinguished enough to report an unknown spell to the kingdom, you can cut a few corners if you want to start a noble family with the right amount of money. Not just having someone jump from being a 4th grade citizen to a 1st or 2nd grade," the woman added.

'Huh, that's a bit weird and random,' Evin thought when he heard the first statement. Mages were smarter than non-mages, sure, but it wasn't like an actual four-year-old would be better suited to lead the family compared to an adult. Even Evin, who was a Child of the Empress wasn't so confident that he would be a proper decision maker in a family. After all, he didn't wish to be bound with the responsibility of commanding others. 

'Now that I think about it, it's almost impossible for mages of common origins to be a half-core at this point in their lives, when you consider how secretive materials and knowledge related to magic is, and how hard it is for someone without money to increase the size of their mana-core.'

As for becoming a noble, that sounded like trouble and politics, so he didn't wish to delve into that yet. Evin would probably consider it if there was something to be gained from it, but not now.

"Alright, thanks for the information," Evin said nonetheless and left, heading for the citizenship bureau.