Although the reason was unknown, there had long been a perception that the Empire's magicians were noble.
When he first appeared in the territory:
"A-a magician...!"
Everyone was so startled that as soon as they saw a person who clearly looked like a magician, they prostrated themselves on the ground.
However.
"I am no magician. There are very few magicians in the Empire. Everyone, please lift your heads."
The man who introduced himself as not being a magician stood the people up with a very complex expression on his face.
"...Starting with farm work, I will always help you whenever there is a difficult task. Please feel free to ask me."
After pouring out incomprehensible words, he dragged his heavy-looking feet into the mansion where the feudal lord stayed.
At first, the people could not understand what the magician was talking about at all.
Starting with farm work and providing various conveniences? The magician?
That magicians, who are fewer in number than knights, were suddenly doing menial labor?
It was not something that could be understood within common sense.
So, in the beginning, they could not even imagine asking the magician for help.
When this situation had continued for about a week.
"Is this the Baralum territory?"
"Yes? Yes, yes... that's right."
A boy wearing an armband suddenly appeared in the territory.
Appearing as if he had dropped from the sky, the boy looked noble to anyone's eyes, and he acted that way, too.
One might say he possessed a grace different from that of a commoner.
Anyway, despite the fact that there was no dust on his armband at all.
"Perhaps it is because it is a very dusty day, ahem."
He brushed off the armband, which had the number 1 embroidered in gold thread, then said:
"I have received a report that the usage rate of Wand No. 782 over the last week was a whopping 0%. By any chance, did a wand not get delivered here a week ago?"
"E-eh?"
He brought up a baffling story.
Wand No. 782? Usage rate? Delivery?
When everyone just tilted their heads at the string of words that no one could understand, he added:
"This is the problem. If you are a wand, you should actively fulfill your duty as a wand and do some promotion... Is it right to just stay still because no one is asking for you? The neighboring territory is already flying in the sky to water the crops... If you show such a comparative work attitude, imagine how ashamed I will be when I, Wand No. 1, see His Highness the Crown Prince...."
The boy muttered to himself before looking at the people gathered around him.
"Ah, I have confirmed what the problem is. By any chance, could you tell me where the mansion where the lord stays is?"
He asked for the location of the mansion with a bright smile.
"I-it is over there."
The territory residents were flustered by how everything was being figured out by itself, but they pointed toward the mansion with their fingers.
"Living in the best place while doing nothing, with a 0% usage rate for a week—if this happens, the others who are proactively fulfilling their duties as wands, excluding weekends, will suffer losses. How can one not know this!"
Swish.
As soon as the location was identified, the boy vanished in an instant.
A phenomenon that could only be explained as magic.
Some of the residents, who had no prior information about magic at all, were so surprised they slumped to the ground.
"S-so the magicians my grandfather spoke of really did exist."
Magicians were so rare in the Empire that it was a case of whether one could see them before they died. To think an opportunity to see a magician like this had arisen.
"Lately, it seems we have been having very good luck."
In the place where the magician had left.
"That's true. Taxes have suddenly dropped significantly, and thanks to that... I don't have to force the kids to do farm work, and they can learn how to read and write."
"Hmm, I am also learning how to read lately. That reading and writing should be a basic skill... hmm, that is a truly wonderful saying."
The residents were very positive about the Empire's recent changes.
For one, taxes had dropped sharply, providing them with leeway, and on top of that.
Because education was also being actively supported.
Although it was already late for them, they held the expectation that their children might lead different lives.
And amidst such expectations.
Boom!
Suddenly, a loud explosion rang out from the mansion where the lord stayed.
"Wand No. 782! Proclaim your duty loudly in the center of the village!"
"Th-Theo... why are you doing this, huh? Let's not do this, just like before... can't you just research quietly like before? H-how am I supposed to use magic just to water crops... d-do you think that makes sense?"
When they regained their senses, the magician who had come a month ago and the boy who had just arrived were talking in the center of the village.
"There is no Theo in this place. What is in front of you right now is the No. 1 Wand of His Highness the Crown Prince."
"...Do you think this makes sense?! Literally throwing away everything we have lived for until now! Throwing it all away... just making fire when I'm told to make fire, and shooting water when told to shoot water... are we to live a life like that?"
The boy's attitude was extremely high-handed.
Compared to that, the body of the magician who had arrived a month ago kept shrinking lower and lower.
"During our current conversation, about two cumulative warnings have been generated. If one more warning accumulates, I will immediately activate a restraint and blow your head off, regardless of the reason. If you don't like it, just die; there are plenty of other wands besides you."
Then, at the boy's final words.
"...Residents of Baralum territory! I am not a magician! I am a wand that exists for your convenience! If you have any difficulties in the future! I will solve everything with my magic! My magic is free! However, weekend work will be conducted depending on the situation...!"
The prostrate magician jumped up and started pouring out words.
No, he tried to pour them out.
"Not quite, not quite."
"H-huh?"
"The weekly usage rate is 0%, so does mentioning weekend guarantees make sense? That is a benefit given only to diligent wands."
"Th-then when is my weekend...?"
"When you use the wand satisfaction survey magic, you must truly receive five stars."
"Isn't that done once every six months?"
"Wand No. 782, as I said before, if you don't want to do it, you can just die. Is it difficult? Shall I trigger the restraint?"
"...."
That was, if the serious-faced boy next to him hadn't been saying things.
Upon hearing that, Wand No. 782's expression died rapidly.
Afterward, he took the document the boy handed him and read it aloud so that all the residents could hear.
"I, Wand No. 782! For the infinite convenience of Baralum territory and the eternal glory of the Belos Empire! I swear to devote myself with dedication and obedience!!!"
"Louder! Is that all the voice you can muster! Wand No. 264 in the neighboring territory even shed tears while reading the document written and copied by His Highness the Crown Prince himself! Is it right to have so little loyalty!"
"...Sob... Hic...!"
Wand No. 782 also wept.
Was the meaning contained in his tears the fear of death, or a lament for his life?
A life turned upside down.
However, despite that, the days were better for being alive.
Feeling those complex emotions, Wand No. 782 declared to the residents that he was not a magician, but a wand.
"Haha, he successfully brainwashed another wand perfectly."
The boy, who watched all of this with satisfaction, touched his armband again and said:
"No more nonsense from now on. That is your final warning."
He said this while looking at Wand No. 782 with an extremely serious face, then added:
"You're really going to die; you've already died a lot. About 50 times?"
Ending with that chilling remark, he vanished from the spot.
In the place where the boy had disappeared.
"Does anyone need magic...?"
Wand No. 782 started his magic sales pitch to survive.
++++++
[ Magicians are having a surprisingly rapid and positive impact on the Empire! ]
[ The Empire's level of magic is rising tremendously. ]
[ The probability of children born with the blessing of mana in the Empire is rising significantly. ]
"...Theo is working very diligently."
"I have never seen a magician with that much passion, Your Highness."
Theo, calling himself Wand No. 1, was doing 21st-century onsite A/S visits.
To be honest, when he first said he would do it, I wondered if it was necessary.
But once I let him do it, the efficiency was absurd.
First of all, the fact that he could teleport all over the Empire by himself was truly amazing.
This was also a part that surprised Arbeda, who said that his mana core was absurdly large.
"It is possible that in terms of the amount of mana he can contain, he is on par with a Dragon Heart."
"Ha, yeah... he is the Male Protagonist, after all."
A magic talent so great he could compete with dragons while being human.
I thought, "This is why he's the Male Protagonist with a genius magician setting."
Anyway, hearing the pleasant message that the Empire's level of magic was rising rapidly.
[ The Empire is becoming healthy. ]
[ A tremendous achievement! ]
[ Granting 2 Convenient Empire Status Window points! ]
'Oh.'
A smile naturally formed on my lips as I obtained the Convenient Empire Status Window points.
'I should start by laying down railways across the Empire.'
I remember that was part of the tech tree.
If I invest one in railways and the other in the Academy, it will be a good means of preparing for both the present and the future in the current situation.
"Your Highness, we have arrived."
"Good job."
At Arbeda's words that we had arrived at our destination, I stroked her hair and slowly drew my sword.
The Northern and Eastern Empires.
Because one had to maintain the front line and the other had to maintain the coast, they used a way of outsourcing administration by stepping down from the rank of Grand Duke.
The Western and Southern Empires didn't particularly need that, so there were no Grand Dukes there.
However, just because there was no Grand Duke didn't mean there wasn't someone acting like a leader.
Just because there are no tigers, why wouldn't there be wolves on the mountain?
There were always people who wanted to rise above others, and in that sense, the Southern Empire...
For the sole reason that it was close to the Romper Holy Nation.
"Why is the symbol of the Holy Nation in the Empire... and a gold statue at that, sitting right there in the South?"
It was set up in a form clearly similar to the Holy Nation.
Which meant the Southern Empire was currently:
"This is driving me crazy."
It was a satellite base right in the front yard of the Romper Holy Nation.
So.
Slash!
I cut down the gold statue first.
Thud!
The era of religious business in someone else's country is over.