67. Mage Guild

"Looking to sell some potions—any idea where I should go?" Shiro asked the group.

"Potions? Ah, then it's the Mage Guild. Might as well join the Guild and get your license while you're at it—practical, really, and necessary if you're planning to sell... Shiro, can you actually make potions?" Sophia replied, turning to him.

"Yeah, I can manage. Got a stock on hand, and since I don’t have any currency in this world, figured it’d be one way to earn some coin," Shiro answered.

"...I see. Well, good timing—let me show you around," Sophia said, and the whole group decided to go together.

(And I’d like to take a closer look at Shiro’s abilities, too,) she murmured, though no one heard.

The Mage Guild stood south of the town center, nestled in the commercial district. It was a stately, three-story stone building, much like the Adventurer Guild.

Sophia led the way, stepping inside first.

"Ah! Lady Sophia. Long time no see. What brings you today?" the receptionist, a woman, greeted her.

"Ah, Erica. Good to see you again. I’m here to introduce some new members to the Guild," Sophia replied.

"Wait—Lady Sophia’s referral? Understood. Please wait a moment," Erica said, stepping through the back doors. After a short while, she returned, accompanied by another figure.

"Sophia, it’s been a while. You should show up more often," the woman said, addressing Sophia.

"Ah, Alice. Good to see you too. Sorry—I’ve been swamped lately," Sophia said.

"So you’re here under your referral to register with the Mage Guild? Unusual, isn’t it?" Alice turned a sharp glance toward Shiro, standing beside Sophia.

"Yeah, let me introduce him. Shiro—just became a Rank A adventurer yesterday. I'll vouch for his magic proficiency," Sophia said.

"Yesterday? Rank A adventurer? Doesn't look much like an adventurer... Huh. You? Sophia vouching for you? Just how skilled are you, then?" Alice smirked, her eyes sharp as she appraised Shiro.

"Ah, well, magic's my specialty," Shiro said with a wry smile.

"Fine. Let's get the basics out of the way. Follow me to the testing arena in the back," Alice said, leading everyone out of the building and toward a gymnasium-like structure at the rear.

The building had one wall open, facing a courtyard. Ahead in the courtyard stood multiple targets set up for testing.

In one corner of the gym, glassware and lab equipment typical of alchemical experiments were arranged—this space also doubled as a testing ground for potion-making and alchemy.

"The test is simple. Show me your highest-level spell, or craft the finest potion you can make, or produce the highest-quality magical ore. Each requires a different license, so just do what you're aiming for," Alice explained.

Shiro, hearing the word "license," couldn’t stay quiet. He had a habit of never being able to resist taking any certification he thought he could pass.

"Got it. Let’s start with something simple—magic?" Shiro said, turning toward the targets set up at the far end of the courtyard. There were about ten of them, likely for testing multiple people at once.

Shiro raised his hand and chanted, "【Multi-Homing Lightning Needle】"

In an instant, ten magical arrays flared above Shiro’s head. From each, a beam of light shot out, leaping to ten different targets, piercing them, sparking with electricity, then fading after a moment.

“““⁉”””

Sophia and Alice, Erika stared in shock at the display.

“Ah, well, that’s the usual reaction, isn’t it?” Aria murmured. Not just me, you know.

Shestia and Mitoka stood with smug, satisfied grins—like they’d expected nothing less.

“Um, is this about right? And now, next up—let’s make a potion.”

Shiro said, floating a barrier orb into the air and crafting the potion exactly as he’d shown Shestia and the others before. He kept it modest, though—just a premium mana recovery potion.

“This is a premium mana recovery potion. And finally…”

Shiro pulled a rock weighing about five kilograms from his inventory and levitated it. “This is silver ore,” he said, showing it to Alice and the others.

Erika muttered, “...Yes, that’s right,” and, stunned, confirmed it with a quick appraisal.

Then Shiro chanted, “【Decompose】,” separating the silver metal.

“Here we go—silver ingot,” he said, showing it again. Erika just sighed, “...Yes, that’s right,” and fell silent.

“Then, 【Mana Infusion】,” Shiro chanted. The silver glowed, and when the light settled, a pale-blue metal formed. “Hmm, this would be mithril,” Shiro said, placing the mithril ingot on the table. It weighed around two kilograms.

Everyone fell silent. Shiro, noticing, tilted his head.

“Um… did something go wrong?” he asked, puzzled.

“…You know, Shiro, showing something so wildly unconventional all at once—it’s only natural you’d be stunned into silence,” Aria said.

“Guess you’re the one who’s been most surprised so far, Aria-nee. Got used to it already?” Shestia murmured, suddenly coming back to herself.

“Shestia… no, well, maybe,” Aria said.

"Shiro, I knew you were impressive, but this is beyond expectations. Who in the world is making mithril ingots? And a whole batch of S-rank potions at once? Not to mention that first spell—what in the name of the Codex was that? I've never seen anything like it."

Sophia, even she seemed taken aback, spoke with a flustered expression.

"……Authentication results confirm all items are genuine," Erica murmured, staring at the potion and the mithril ingot.

……Yeah, I figured Sophia’s introduction meant she’d have some skill, but not to this extent……

Alice came back to herself, muttering with a dazed expression.

"Anyway, got it. Let's issue three types of licenses. Magus Rank A, Alchemist Rank A, and Pharmacist Rank A should do."

Aria sighed, muttering, "I've never heard of three Rank A's—especially all at once…"

Watching Erica’s back as she walked away with a “I’ll register this for you,” Shiro asked.

“Incidentally, do I need a license to sell magical artifacts? Any price restrictions or anything like that?”

"You need an alchemist's license to make and sell magical devices," Alice said, starting her explanation. "The price varies depending on the device—can't really say exactly. It involves the Merchant Guild, too. Let's see... I'll explain the Magus Guild..."

The Magus Guild's main duties are selling magical tomes, crafting and wholesaling magical devices, and administering exams to determine a mage's type and rank—known as Mage Class—and issuing licenses accordingly.

Unlike the Adventurer Guild, its primary role is assessing and certifying members' levels.

It operates three departments.

The Mage Department, the Alchemist Department, and the Apothecary Department.

The Alchemist Department handles alchemy, smithing, and crafting magical devices, while the Apothecary Department produces and sells potions—members who create potions there are called Pharmaceutists.

"Anyway, the rest you can ask Sophia. She’s the guild’s advisor," Alice said, smiling wryly.

"Hmph. A position they just made up, right? Well, I’ll explain it anyway," Sophia replied with a chuckle, nodding.

"Guild card updated," Erica returned, handing the card back to Shiro.

Shiro checked the card.

Guild Certification

Name: Shiro Kamikawa

Party: Black Ice Wind

Adventurer Rank: A

Magus Rank: A

Pharmaceutist Rank: A

Alchemist Rank: A

Rewards/Punishments: None

"Wow, nice! Straight-up A’s!" Shiro said, a little pleased.

"Shiro’s impressive," Shestia praised him.

"Never seen someone with a card like this before," Aria said.

"Probably not," Sophia agreed.

"Wait—so, the real reason I’m here today is selling that potion, right? Will the guild buy it from me?" Shiro recalled his original purpose and asked.

"Yeah, a top-tier potion's a welcome sight. Most alchemists can only manage up to mid-grade. And normally, one bottle like this fetches 320 dals," Alice said.

Shiro had made about four liters. Potions were stored in bottles—well, if you wanted to think in Earth terms, test tubes—each holding 80 milliliters. So that was fifty bottles' worth. Total: 16,000 dals. Sixteen gold coins.

"Oh wow, that's quite a sum!" Shiro said, genuinely delighted.

"Shiro, you don’t seem to realize," Aria cut in, "but most adventurers only earn two gold coins a month."

"Wait, really? Then making and selling potions is way more efficient, right?" Shiro said.

"Shiro, you can't just whip one up in an instant," Shestia said, unusually sharp.

"Hey, speaking of which," Shiro asked, "can you buy this mithril ingot too?"

"No, take it to a blacksmith. They’d be happy to buy it," Alice replied.

"Shiro, just so you know—normally, alchemists only produce test-sized batches, I mean, most alchemists max out at around two centimeters. That kind of size is beyond them," Aria explained.

"...Right," Shiro said, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

『Shiro. It's quite entertaining watching everyone's reactions.』 Mitoka whispered into his mind, quietly.

(…Mitoka. Don’t just enjoy it—should’ve warned me if you knew. Feels like my personality’s getting skewed in a bad direction…?) Shiro felt a flicker of unease.

Mitoka pressed a hand to her mouth, suppressing a laugh—her usual mischievous grin fixed on him.

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