Farmer Mage

Chapter 53: Trouble

Cal was thankful that they didn’t leave the tower. He was led up the stairs, and instead of a dead end like he had seen before, there were stairs to get to the eleventh floor. The deadens he expected had been moved one floor up.

He would have asked how that happened, but with the Masters’ expression, asking frivolous questions was not in his interest.

Cal expected to see the rarely seen Apprentices on the new floor, but it was just as barren as the ninth floor now was. It made sense since the entire floor had administrative offices and nothing else.

“Take a seat,” Master Merrak motioned to an open room with a table and a few chairs. “We’ll be with you shortly.”

It looked like an interrogation room. Cal had heard of these being used for mortal criminals but never for guild members. He didn’t have much of an option, so he did as requested.

The thought of being in trouble had never really entered his mind until now. Since Tarn would apparently make a full recovery, he hadn’t even expected a slap on the wrist.

Cal frowned after the door closed, leaving him alone in the room.

Would the Celestial Order punish an Apprentice for something that would have no lasting effects? From what I know, that would never happen… perhaps this isn’t about Tarn.

The Masters could be more concerned about how someone who was a Trainee just a week ago was now at the same level as an Apprentice. Especially since he was just a [Farmer].

Cal wasn’t sure how to go about it. Of course, bringing up the Overseer was always an option, but that was not something he planned on doing. As far as he knew, the Overseer kept him a secret from most—or all—of the guild, and he wouldn’t get the man who backed him into the focus.

He drummed his fingers on the table. He could act clueless about how he had progressed so rapidly and keep reiterating that all he had done was improve his field.

It’s not a lie, and my relative inexperience in the guild’s eyes will make it believable.

Cal knew this still left a lot up to the goodwill of the Masters. Some Masters simply had too much goodwill, including Master Merrak.

He didn’t know the Master too well in his last life, but the man was a hierarchy climber. Cal had been a target for Master Merrak. The future potential was what the Master coveted, and Cal had been offered extra resources and lessons that were clearly for building a better relationship.

It didn’t escape Cal that Master Merrak almost ignored every other Initiate in his last life, and the rare times he didn’t, the interactions were curt and unwelcome.

Master Merrak’s opportunistic behavior might be helpful for me here.

He felt calm when he realized it wouldn’t be difficult to navigate his current situation. That allowed him to think about something he had been pushing away for an appropriate time.

Tarn and the [Lightning Aura].

Using [Lightning Aura] uses up all my mana, and that was confirmed when I checked my mana core. It had just started to recover when I became aware of my surroundings.

Somehow, he had subconsciously used [Lightning Aura] to seriously injure Tarn. He had seen how weak the trait was, so what happened was almost unbelievable.

I don't know why Tarn was so unreasonable, but he gave me invaluable help. Could [Lightning Aura] be strengthened against living things? I can’t see how this would have been possible if that hadn’t been the case. I’ll need to test this somehow—

The door opened, breaking Cal out of his thoughts.

“Hello, Apprentice Cal.”

“Overseer?” Cal said dumbly, noting that Master Merrak and a few others stayed outside when the door closed.

“Well, I wanted you to claim your increased status, but I didn’t mean for you to do it like this,” the Overseer sat at the other side of the table.

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Cal lost the last bit of tension in his body and smiled. “I wondered how to get out of this without mentioning you. I’m happy to see you here.”

The Overseer smirked. “I’m sure. I wouldn’t have known about this if the Masters hadn’t acted like the city was about to be attacked and frantically rushed to the core guild.”

The smile on Cal’s lips faltered at the Overseer’s wording before he quickly pushed it aside. “… So, what are we doing here? Unless the guild really does have an issue with what just happened.”

“Nothing like that,” the Overseer reclined in the chair. “What happens next depends on you. I have temporarily taken control of this situation. The Masters that stopped you—those waiting outside—want to inform the council, but you can forget about keeping a quiet presence when that happens. Of course, you will have the full weight of the guild supporting you instead of the minor things I can offer right now.”

Cal didn’t reject it immediately. The positives might outweigh the negatives, but this would get him to form much closer ties with the Celestial Order than he was comfortable with. He preferred to keep them at arm’s length and would like that to be status quo as long as possible.

However, he knew of a significant issue that the Overseer hadn’t mentioned.

“Even if I choose to stay hidden, how long will that last? I think there have been too many who witnessed what I did.”

“A severe understatement, but yes, you’re right,” the Overseer said dryly, “I would estimate hundreds at the minimum. The only good thing is that most were visitors from outside Lumina. The few that were part of the core guild can be silenced for some time.”

Cal nodded slowly. The Overseer basically said that the people whose [Class] were [Farmer], [Gardner], etc. didn’t matter. That might be correct, but he still felt slightly offended on their behalf. After all, he was one of them now.

“Some time is better than none. I want to stay hidden.”

“Again, it would have worked much better if you hadn’t tried to destroy an Initiate’s mana core in front of everyone, but alright. I’ll do what I can to suppress this.”

The Overseer’s mocking tone didn’t draw a reaction from Cal. His mind had blanked. “I tried to destroy Tarn’s mana core!?”

The Overseer blinked at the horror in his voice. “Well, yes? That type of targeting is so specific that you had to have known what you were doing.”

Cal wasn’t sure what he should be more surprised by. The nonchalance of the discussion, or the fact that he tried to do something so heinous.

… There’s no contest. I always knew the guild prioritizes talent to an extreme level, so this is no surprise. Destroying a mana core is quite literally torture for someone with an interface. They return to their mortal state before the mind slowly deteriorates from losing access to the interface. Death is a gift in comparison.

Cal shuddered in self-recrimination. Tarn might be an unmitigated ass, but he didn’t deserve that. Almost nobody deserved that.

This single action felt like it negated all the corrections he had made to his behavior in this life.

“Where is Tarn right now?” Cal immediately realized what that sounded like. He added, “I don’t intend to do anything. It’s just curiosity.”

“The Initiate is recovering in the core guild. I would suggest staying far away from him to avoid this matter spiraling out of control.” The Overseer didn’t seem to believe him.

“... That's probably the better course of action.” Tarn likely had little desire to see him anytime soon. More than that, Cal didn’t know if he would be infuriated again at the sight of the man.

With what he was apparently capable of subconsciously, he didn't want to test that.

“Right!” The Overseer clapped, almost making Cal flinch in surprise. “I think we’re done here. I’ll need you to avoid the core guild for the next week to let this blow over.” He paused. “And avoid the Great Market, too. Shop in the smaller boutiques to try and avoid the usual crowd that comes to the tower.”

Cal nodded again. That made perfect sense to him. Spending a little more money for what he needed was a small price to help keep his anonymity for a bit longer.

“Is there anything else you need to ask me?”

I wonder if I will hear that question before every conversation with the Overseer ends.

“There is,” Cal wasn’t shy. “I need information on the types of [Class] that could be assigned. All of them. I was going to check the core guild’s library, but it looks like that isn’t the best idea right now.”

The Overseer’s eyes gleamed. Cal fully expected a few questions to follow, as was reasonable. That wasn’t what happened.

“That wouldn’t be in the library. Nor would it be anywhere in the Central Sanctum,” the Overseer stood from his seat. “Keep this to yourself, Apprentice Cal. I’ll have what you need delivered into your hands soon. Where will you be staying in the city? Or will you be leaving for your station?”

Cal shook his head. “I need to get an Earth simulacrum before I leave. The spell shops are all bunched up, so I’ll stay in that area.”

The Overseer’s eyes went from gleaming to practically glowing. That might have been a trick of light, or it could have been the effect of seeing the massive smile that formed on his face. “This is an excellent plan, Apprentice Cal. I’ll visit you personally and ensure you get the information you wish!”

Cal stared at the open doorway when the Overseer left without another word, taking the Masters who were waiting with him.

… This is a good thing. I think. The fewer questions that are asked, the better.Still, I believe the Overseer knows more about my actions than I do myself.

He scratched his chin before freezing when he thought about something that should have been a suspicion long ago.

The Overseer might know of another person with a ‘Special’ [Class]. That’s the most straightforward explanation for why he is willing to comply with my requests with little pushback.

Cal was now convinced that was the reason, not that he had any proof other than the extreme agreeability of the Overseer.

He stood from the chair and left the room. With the eleventh floor full of offices and eerily empty, he didn’t think it was wise to loiter. Besides, he had something more important to do.

He quickly descended the stairs, noting the ninth floor was still cleared, and continued to the exit. He hoped to find Seris waiting outside so he didn’t have to go on a manhunt.