Mage? Magic Engineer!-Chapter 112 - 109: Overture and Opening

Pierre Nixingen was initially quite vexed. Between raising funds for his new company and launching its products, he was short on cash. He hadn’t been able to sponsor the charity performance for much money, and as a result, he received very few tickets.

Fortunately, after some inquiries, he learned that both Rorschach Mage and Master Snow were unattached, which allowed Pierre to breathe a long sigh of relief.

Compared to the lead sponsor, Shaleanna Mining Company, Nixingen’s two companies were small fry, so the former naturally occupied the best seats. However, Mr. Pierre had achieved his goal: Hercules Trading Company was providing all the beverages for the performance.

The charity performance was a wonderful cover. The head professor of the Tower of Stars, the Bishop of Saint Miller Cathedral, and a representative of the King would all be in attendance. Nixingen was counting on the powerful figures who ran the Kingdom to taste his exquisite purple beverage. Then, it would be a matter of course for the drink to appear in high-end restaurants, on the most exclusive shelves, and in the manors of these very people.

As for Valon, the general manager of the Mining Company, he wouldn’t concern himself with such trivialities. Mr. Nekker had entrusted this entire momentous occasion to him, much to the resentment of many of Mr. Nekker’s other subordinates. Valon had to perform perfectly in every respect to prove himself—to prove what a keen eye for talent Mr. Nekker possessed for entrusting the Kingdom’s number one trading company to a young man from a disgraced noble family.

COUGH, COUGH...

"Sir, are you all right?" Valon’s secretary hurried forward, offering a pristine velvet handkerchief already dusted with a cough-suppressant herbal powder.

Valon took it and inhaled deeply, instantly suppressing the urge in his chest. The sensation was replaced by an indescribable ache. Valon had been afflicted with this ailment ever since falling into the water. Even a ritual performed for him by the Priests from the Monastery hadn’t cured it; he could only manage it by taking medicine periodically.

After composing himself, Valon sternly reminded his secretary, "In front of others, call me Mister or Manager." Just as his title could not be muddled, Valon needed to smooth out every wrinkle before his appearance—even though he was about to restore and inherit the peerage his father had been stripped of.

His hand reached into his inner coat pocket. The piece of Donkey Hide was still there, only now it was small enough to be tucked away without even being rolled up.

It was the source of his greatest anxiety. Compared to the terror of facing death, his current bout of nerves seemed utterly insignificant.

...

"Alright, not a bad getup."

Kano sized up the young pair before him. The young man had his hair done, looking much sharper than usual in his tailored suit. The young woman, however, seemed uncomfortable in her formal gown, clutching a rabbit-fur shawl to avoid showing too much skin. Letting her high ponytail down had completely changed her aura, but at her insistence, she had only applied a touch of makeup, refusing to powder her face and neck with white lead.

Kano himself wore a Mage Robe. Unfortunately, one of the trio did not have one, so out of consideration for Pascal’s pride, Paulina had worn a formal gown as his companion.

A waiter guided the three of them to the largest, most central private box, where Valon had already been waiting for some time. "Honorable Master Lionel Kano! We meet again! And these two are..."

Pascal and Paulina’s appearances had changed so drastically that Valon didn’t immediately recognize... two of his saviors.

"My students, Paulina and Pascal."

"The two Mages have such a striking presence." Valon was somewhat disappointed. According to his calculations, Kano should have brought Rorschach. That way, he could have brought in the reporters lying in ambush and hyped up the Sub-plane topic to boost his company’s stagnating stock price.

A rather unpopular individual saved Valon the trouble and asked the question directly: "Where’s that favorite little boy of yours?" Inside the box, the seats on either side of Dipresy, as well as the one next to those, were empty. The seats’ three owners—a Priest from Saint Miller Church, the Court Guard Captain, and his wife—were standing off to the side, chatting animatedly while sipping the exquisite purple wine.

"While I’m never partial to any of my students, I can guess who you’re referring to, Lord Bishop. Rorschach Mage has other business tonight. It’s a shame he’ll miss the performance..."

Before Kano could finish, Pierre Nixingen’s booming, energetic voice echoed from the hallway through the door. "Rorschach Mage, you’ve finally arrived! This is my wife, Theraphina. Master Snow is already in the private box. Please, follow me..."

’Very spirited. A great advertisement for his product.’

The Cardinal’s lips curled up a few millimeters. "Mr. Kano wasn’t wrong. Now we all know Mr. Rorschach did indeed have business that prevented him from accompanying his master."

Rorschach had no desire to wear the custom formal attire that conformed to the Holy Kingdom’s etiquette and trends. The cost was a secondary concern; he didn’t have servants now, nor did he plan on ever hiring any or using a Mage’s Hand to wrestle himself into sets of complicated finery. ’These opulent clothes, with their every meaningful decoration... the moment you put them on, you’re joining a hierarchical game of judging and being judged, of looking down on others.’ For the young man, a simple Mage Robe was more than enough.

However, Rorschach wasn’t short on money these days. He had purchased a new Mage Robe. Unlike the understated, black-based robe with purple trim he wore in the Empire, this one was made of solid purple velvet. Underneath, he wore a white, double-breasted tailcoat without a cravat.

"You’re a Mage, yet you’ve managed to dress like a Priest, while the actual Priests are looking more and more like Nobility. All except for our Lord Bishop, of course," Snow joked upon seeing Rorschach’s simple attire.

’And you’re dressed with the slovenliness of a sans-culotte,’ Rorschach thought as he sat down. "Most of those Clergy come from extraordinary backgrounds to begin with."

"True enough."

Beside each seat was a small side table laden with mineral water from Saint Cassius Mountain, a pale purple sparkling water, and wine. A waiter would bring an ice bucket if requested, though the weather outside was still freezing. In addition to the beverages, a pair of opera glasses for viewing the performance rested gently on a velvet cloth.

The glasses were framed with golden thread. A viewer who couldn’t see clearly could hold the long handle on one side to raise them to their eyes.

Just as Rorschach was about to pick it up, Kano’s voice suddenly sounded in his mind. "Why are you here?"

’I can’t believe Kano is using the Communication Skill from so close,’ Rorschach thought, taking a sip of his drink to calm his nerves. "Master? I was invited by Mr. Nixingen. You know, the general manager of the Helichu Energy Potion Factory..."

"Hah. Then you’ve done better for yourself than Pascal... Listen, Pascal, Paulina, and I are in the largest box next door. We were invited by the Shaleanna Mining Company. If you see any reporters, make sure you aren’t seen. Also, steer clear of their general manager, Valon. You remember that kid, don’t you?"

"I remember." ’Not only do I remember him,’ he thought, ’I saved his life!’

"Good..."

"So you were certain all along that the Sub-plane’s gold mine would be a bust. Why else would you be so unwilling to let the person involved have any connection to the company?" Another voice interjected, yet again.

"That’s enough, Dipresy! We were at fault last time, but this time, you’re the one being rude!"

"You can only blame your own Communication Skill for being sloppy..." In truth, Kano had taken precautions, but Rorschach’s own foundation with the Communication Skill was nowhere near Kano’s level. This was how the eavesdropper got in, though Snow, sitting right next to Rorschach, was completely oblivious. ’Well, it’s mainly because the Lord Chancellor’s power is so formidable.’

"I refuse to accept that!"

TSKZZZT—

A burst of static stabbed at Rorschach’s mind. "What’s wrong?" Snow finally noticed something was amiss.

"Would you believe me if I told you a Great Mage and an Archbishop are having a duel next door?" Rorschach could feel the Ether to his left fluctuating with a subtle violence, controlled by two distinct wills. It seemed the two were engaged in a form of "arm wrestling" on the planes of Magic and Divine Art.

"Stop messing around. The show is about to start. Have you heard about this play? It’s the hottest ticket in town right now, completely sold out..."

Applause erupted from the private boxes and the seats below. Then, in the darkness, the overture began, a mingling of wind and strings. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

A spotlight flared to life, and as the overture faded to a close, the curtain was drawn open.