Mage? Magic Engineer!-Chapter 126 - 123: The Kingdom’s Last General Star

’Things magic can’t do? Of course there are plenty. For example, Rorschach was feeling his internet addiction flare up, and magic probably couldn’t conjure the entire internet for him to scroll through...’

But the question carried a faint hostility, one the student who asked it might not have even realized. His grandfather was a Mage, but neither his father nor he had ever shown any Casting Ability. Cared for by their ancestor, they became affiliates of the Magic Guild, and his father had found modest success in business.

There were many students like him here. If a Magic God truly existed, He must be a mischievous and fair one, for He would never allow Casting talent to be passed down stably through the generations, refining a bloodline. It was for this very reason that most Mages focused only on their own practice, never fantasizing about passing on a reliably talented lineage.

This was also why a Great Mage like Kano remained single. Add to that a lifespan far exceeding a normal person’s, and his romantic philosophy was to "stay true to his original heart"—he would always prefer them eighteen. Of course, he might occasionally switch things up if he met someone who was well-preserved. This was rather common in the high society of Valuva.

As for Mages who started families, some hoped to be recognized by the King and join the Nobility, so their descendants could remain part of the upper class regardless of whether they had Magic Power. Others would take advantage of the Magic Guild’s resources to have their families run businesses.

Over time, the merchant associations affiliated with the Guild grew to an astonishing scale, with interests in every trade and industry. They enjoyed preferential tax rates from the King and the Emperor, but in return, they shouldered the logistical and financial support for the Magic Towers.

Thus, in the home of the student who had asked the question, an air of helplessness and resentment always lingered, whether spoken or not, and the young man had subconsciously let it show in class today.

’There’s no need to separate Casters from people without Casting Ability,’ Rorschach had always believed. ’And it’s even more pointless to force a "pure technology" path in a world with magic, creating a "tech side" versus "magic side" conflict. I’m not some Academy City chairman...’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"My dear student... have you ever seen an Airship?" Rorschach had wanted to ask if he’d ever "ridden" one, but not everyone could afford it. To be cautious, he changed the question from one of personal experience to one of simple observation.

Rorschach turned and began to draw a cross-section of an Airship on the blackboard. "An Airship has a massive gasbag inside it filled with a lightweight combustible gas. This makes the average density of the Airship, including its passengers and cargo, close to that of air, allowing it to float. It is a truly great alchemical construct of our era, and it has greatly promoted communication and trade across the continent."

After finishing the drawing, he turned back to face the class. "Some of you may understand the principles, while others may not. So I’ll get straight to the conclusion: An Airship’s flight and propulsion do not rely on Magic. It was built by workers who cannot perform Casting.

However, Airships have a major safety hazard. Their gasbags are like flying bombs. For this reason, every Airship has a Mage on board to provide it with Protection."

"Among the gentlemen sitting behind us is a Mage. If I may ask, Master Snow, have you ever heard of Magic capable of levitating a 20-ton object all at once?"

’I haven’t heard of anything like floating cities in this world. Master Snow, you’d better not make me eat my words.’

Snow played along perfectly. He smiled as he met the students’ gazes and replied, "I’d love to say Magic is omnipotent, but the fact is: no such spell exists."

Rorschach continued, asking the students, "Would any of you dare to fly through the sky on a moving bomb without Protective Magic?"

"No!" the students replied, shaking their heads. In truth, many of them were thinking that they wouldn’t dare ride one even *with* Protective Magic.

"Then, in my opinion, Casters and non-Casters have accomplished something incredible together. It is a shared achievement of us humans—oh, and the Dwarves. The Airship’s Power Furnace and the lightweight gas in its bladder are the products of their ingenuity.

"So, my answer to that student’s question is this: yes, there are many things Magic cannot do. But since you are all able to sit here, in a school where Mages, Priests, and ordinary people can teach you together, you should hold fast to one conviction: strive for the advancement of human wisdom, regardless of whether your efforts involve Magic, and regardless of whether that ’wisdom’ belongs to a Caster or an ordinary person."

’I’ve heard that in the universities of my past life, every course had an evaluation requirement: the teacher had to weave in some moral instruction. I’m pretty sure this little ’thematic elevation’ of mine would earn me full marks.’

With the fun little experiment and the moralizing out of the way, Rorschach reluctantly spread open his lesson plan and began to lecture by the book. "Alright, let’s officially begin class. I have yet to find a suitable textbook for this course, so you’ll need to take notes based on my lecture and what I write on the board. This is to ensure you can complete your homework and pass the exams.

"Alchemy is an ancient art. The great Ancient Sages laid its foundation on the idea of the transmutation of all things..."

’Without a "Sensing" board from the Tower of Stars, I feel like I’m just inhaling clouds of chalk dust,’ Rorschach thought as he wrote. ’And it’s this world’s crappy limestone chalk, too. I need to find Kano Mage and learn [Air Bubble] to avoid this occupational hazard...’

A short passage from Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major chimed out, played by a music box clock designed by the Holy Kingdom’s most renowned watchmaker. Only a person of his stature could select music from the Empire for the dismissal bell without facing opposition.

"That’s all for today’s class."

"Goodbye, teacher." The students from the charity schools and the Monastery immediately rose from their seats and bowed. The other students followed suit, a beat too slow.

"You can skip the bowing in the future. Go on, off you go." ’University students should act like it!’ Rorschach really wanted to tell them.

The old man closed his notebook, gave Rorschach a nod, and departed.

Once he saw the man was well out of earshot, Rorschach grabbed Snow. "Who was that old gentleman? He carries himself like a military man."

"You wouldn’t know, being from the Empire, but he’s a household name among the older generation here in the Holy Kingdom." Snow explained that the old man was General Villar of the Holy Kingdom. A famous general under the Sun King, Charles XIV, he had once single-handedly defeated the combined forces of Istani and the Empire.

"He’s that much of a legend?" ’Judging by his appearance and the era, the old gentleman must be in his eighties. If he’s not a Caster or a Divine Benefactor, that’s an impressively long life.’

Snow then switched to using the [Communication Skill] to speak:

The Sun King tried to be independent of the Order Church in all matters, which included building the most formidable army on the continent at the time and participating in numerous wars. But because of that, the Kingdom fell deep into a quagmire of debt. Charles XV and the current His Majesty have been forced to repeatedly downsize their military. As a result, the Kingdom’s reliance on the Church for defense has only deepened.

During the reign of Charles XV, the old general was sent to the Kingdom Artillery Academy to live out his retirement. Today, our esteemed His Majesty the King and the Minister of Finance have all but forgotten the school even exists. On top of that, Dipresy is a navy man, and he only loosens the purse strings to fund his ’aquatic deer-horses.’"

"In short, the old general and the instructors at the Artillery Academy are on the verge of starving. The Kingdom’s independent military strength has been cut again and again, and a large number of their students graduate straight into unemployment. So, the old man found out this place has money and brought his people here to find a way to make a living. They are the ’engineering’ teachers His Majesty mentioned."

There was one more thing Snow didn’t tell the Empireist before him. According to rumors among the school’s directors, Villar had given some treasured heirloom to the Guard Captain. That sycophantic opportunist immediately reminded His Majesty that the "last General Star of the Holy Kingdom" was still eager to be of service in his remaining years. This also gave the teachers at the Artillery Academy a chance to keep up with their ever-increasing household costs.

’You’ve got some nerve, Your Majesty...’ Rorschach thought with a sigh as he walked out of the classroom with Snow.