"Mariano isn’t a heartless guy. He gave me an ’excellent’ on my evaluation, and now the council has approved a budget of three thousand Gold Coins. But the payment won’t be processed until the end of the year at the earliest, maybe even next year. My father and father-in-law gave me a budget of eighty-six hundred gold, each contributing half, but Milly and I decided we should save some of it."

’Wow, are your father or father-in-law looking to adopt? I’m feeling a little short on cash myself lately. As for Bart, he’s basically paying out of pocket for his job. He must be a man who has risen above base desires. Although, seeing his dark circles and how radiant Amelia looks, I’d say he’s only risen above *some* of them.’

The three of them sat around a table as Bart unrolled the Mage Tower blueprints from the designer.

"These are the latest standardized blueprints. All Town Mage Towers and personal Mage Towers in Bayern are modified versions of these three models, each corresponding to a different price point."

The estimated prices were five thousand, eight thousand, and thirteen thousand Golden Eagle Coins... ’What is this, some kind of small-medium-large pricing scheme?’ Rorschach thought, carefully examining the differences.

"Since the basement and storage rooms weren’t damaged, we can save a bit of money," Bart explained. "If we only rely on the official funding, it’ll just barely cover the most basic option."

Rorschach had already experienced the cheapest version. Its defensive measures had been completely useless, and it had no special-function rooms. It was just a watchtower with a small library and living quarters, masquerading as a Mage Tower.

On the other hand, if they went for the "extra-large" option, the construction company would allow a well-funded client like Bart to settle the final payment later. This meant that if they used all the money from their fathers and then paid the remainder when the official funding came through, the top-tier version wasn’t out of the question.

For just thirteen thousand, they could get Holy Kingdom technology, an original Stargazing Mirror from the Bayern Precision Instrument Workshop, a basic Alchemy Room, and a Letter Transmission Array connected to the Empire’s internal network.

"The Empire has established its own Letter Transmission Array?" Rorschach had stumbled upon some incredible news. ’Wait a minute,’ he thought, ’then why is it still such a pain for me to communicate with the agency?’

Bart scratched his head. "Apparently, it’s not open to the public yet—it’s still in a trial phase. They’re giving me an access point here in Wertzburg because of my ’excellent’ evaluation."

’So he got beta access...’ Rorschach nodded in understanding, secretly wondering if he could ask the agency head for a portable access point... a Teleportation Array Scroll.

It also came with a special array that could actively draw Magic Power from the surroundings, artificially increasing the concentration of Magic Power inside the tower. This could be used both to enhance the Magic of the mages within and to keep the Defense Array in a pre-charged state. This feature particularly intrigued Rorschach. ’Such incredible tech exists? Now I’m getting a little jealous.’

The mid-tier package cut the stargazing room and the Energy Gathering Array. In short, the three configurations were precisely tiered, with features cleanly cut from each level. And the cleaner the cuts, the more conflicted the customer—Bart—became.

’This won’t do,’ Rorschach thought. ’I have to convince my dear friend to go for the top-tier package. I need to see for myself how that Energy Gathering Array works.’

Bart pointed to the middle blueprint. "Amelia and I agree on choosing the eight-thousand-gold model. After subtracting the cost for the foundation and basement, we’ll have nearly two thousand gold left over. That, plus the official funding later, is a considerable sum. Amelia wants to start her own winery, and we could use that money to expand the one we have now."

The estate where Rorschach was currently staying already had a wine cellar and grapevines—a property secretly gifted to them by the King. The vineyard, however, was still too small, its yield not nearly enough to fill the spacious cellar.

’This feels just like building a custom PC,’ Rorschach thought. Having already decided he absolutely had to see how that Magic Array worked, he instantly channeled the spirit of a shady computer-parts salesman from his past life. "You’re right," he began, "looking at it now, the mid-range option seems like the most sensible choice."

"Also, I have to remind you, Bart, that while I can help design the Defense Array, the material costs are unavoidable. You’ll probably need to leave some more room in your budget for that."

This, however, was just a strategic retreat from the swindler Rorschach. "But when it comes to defenses," he continued, "speaking from my own personal experience, the old system was completely useless. Even if I inscribe new Magic Circuits, their effectiveness in an emergency will be limited if they can’t be kept in a pre-charged state."

Rorschach recalled the fire at the Lowe Commerce Association’s headquarters. The magical structures designed for fire prevention had completely failed to work. The association ended up suing the Magic Guild and the contractor, a story that even made the newspapers in Valuva.

While Bart was still torn, Amelia quickly grabbed his hand. "Darling, since we’re in danger, our safety has to be the priority. Knowing how to protect yourself isn’t cowardly; it’s what a Wise Man would do."

She and Bart had seen the collapsed ruins together. She couldn’t comprehend how such sturdy stone walls had been sliced apart. The bloodstains amidst the rubble had truly shown Amelia the terrifying reality of magical combat.

The very culprit behind the Mage Tower’s collapse saw his attack was working and decided to strike while the iron was hot. "Look, you don’t really need the Stargazing Skill to handle city-wide emergencies, right? An Alchemy Room for mixing simple Potions and the ability to perform some occasional Casting should be enough. So you could cut the stargazing equipment and save another chunk of change..."

It was the perfect equivalent of the sales pitch, "You don’t need such a high-end CPU for that laptop if you’re just gaming." And just as Rorschach had planned, Bart, who had already been swayed by Amelia, grew even more hesitant. His finger, which had been pointing at the mid-tier blueprint, unconsciously slid over to the premium option.

’Success!’

But then Bart sighed again. "But Milly, this means your winery will have to be delayed. There must be another way... Rorschach, I heard you can get your hands on those blue crystals that contain a large amount of Magic Power..."

It was true that both of them came from wealthy and influential families. But at present, Bart only had his salary as the Town Mage and dividends from his family’s commerce association—the latter being a fixed allowance his father had set up for him at birth. It was enough to support a Princess’s lifestyle and pay for their many servants, but coming up with a large, lump sum of cash was a different story.

’Is he really trying to hit me up for something?’ Before Rorschach could even respond, Amelia immediately rebuked her husband. "Bart, how can you possibly ask Rorschach for more help? Your friend already saved your life from a fatal attack, and he’s promised to help you with the new tower. Isn’t it improper to ask for yet another favor?"

"That’s not what I meant... I can pay for them!" Bart said. "Listen, Rorschach, if I just stockpile enough of those crystals, couldn’t they serve as a substitute for the Energy Gathering Array?"

This was the difference between selling someone a charger versus selling them disposable batteries. Unfortunately, Rorschach had to shake his head and refuse—not because he was dead set on seeing the Energy Gathering Array, but because there was a genuine issue with the crystals. "Those blue, energy-storing crystals you mentioned are called ’Dulled Transmuting Dust’."

"At least for now, it starts to decay the moment it’s created and eventually becomes completely inert. If you have to constantly replace them, it will be far less cost-effective than simply using an Energy Gathering Array."

"Alright..." Bart finally gave up, choosing the most expensive option and turning to apologize to Amelia.

Amelia herself had a restless spirit. She was no longer a child, however, so she couldn’t spend her days idly riding horses through the mountains. She was the mistress of this new household, but as a Princess of the Kingdom, she didn’t want to be confined to this small plot of land—hardly the size of a single palace back home.

"Princess Amelia, would you be willing to become the representative of ’Fanta’?" Rorschach’s sudden question startled the newlyweds.

"Huh?"