Butter bread is the next thing I sold. It wasn't as popular as the stuffed cakes from earlier but I already expected that, it's there because I wanted something to sell between morning and lunch. I'd love to profit from it, sure, but I don't expect to.

  "Are you gonna buy something?" Wardcruncha asked from the other side of the curtain, he had pushed the fabric aside with his hand and was looking at me while I counted the coins in the bucket.

  How much did each scroll cost in the game again? Damn it...

  "Yeah." A lot of things, I wanna buy so many items but the silver that I have right now wouldn't even be enough to get me all of it. I snapped my head upward and met his eyes, he didn't look like he liked my reply. "You... Want to know more?"

  "If possible." Wardcruncha sounded sincere and how am I supposed to say no to that? "I already knew that you wanted to spend all that silver on something but I'd have some peace of mind if I know what it is. Normal kids would want something fun, like a toy or maybe food, you look like you're thinking hard about what to buy."

  He figured me out huh?

  "A scroll." My admission made him pause and I caught his eyes widening for a fraction of a second before he schooled his expression again. "I wanna get the [Hedge Mage] sub class."

  "You wanna become a mage?"

  "Yeah?" What kind of person wouldn't? I mean, I like my class and all since it's so useful and versatile but I've always dreamt of having magic, it sounded so cool. "I have a pretty high affinity for magic so I want to make use of it."

  "You're being serious." Wardcruncha left the stall and walked into the alleyway. He kneeled in front of me. "I know you've already reached level 10, so tell me, what's your magic stat?"

  "30?" Which I'm pretty sure is above average for people my age. "That's good right? I'm pretty sure I'd be called a prodigy by most mages because of it."

  "You're not a prodigy... Well, not in magic." Wardcruncha casually responded. Does he know that if I am a normal kid I'd be devastated? Or maybe that's why he said it? "Becoming a prodigy would require you to have a magic related class and the ability to cast a spell before you even obtain said class but you still have a lot of potential."

  "That's good enough." Because it's better than nothing. "I'm gonna become a hedge mage so uh, watch the shop while I look for someone who can sell me a scroll okay?"

  "No, you can do it in my place." Wardcruncha straightened his back. "Let me buy the stuff for you. If you want."

  For a moment, I gave it some thought.

  It's not a bad idea and Wardcruncha does feel like he's an actual magic user, even if he is past his prime. I can probably trust him right? The only risk that I'm going to face from agreeing to this is him running away with my money but that's fine I think?

  ... Yeah, it is. I'll just catch more aberrants.

  "Sure." My reply came a little later than I wished but I wanted to give his suggestion some thought. "Do you know a ritual or something?"

  "Or something." Nodded Wardcruncha cryptically before he stretched his arm towards me, palm open.

  "Take the entire bucket." I told him. I can't regret this now, because if I want to prevent the future I need to take risks. "Buy whatever you want, I trust you."

  "Thank you, I don't know what I did to make you do that but I'm happy that you have so much faith in me."

  Now that just sounded ominous, is he actually gonna run away with my money?

  Wardcruncha picked up the bucket before I could stew in my thoughts and I didn't... could not make a single move to stop him. I just hope he knows what he's doing and that he comes back here before the end of the day, otherwise I'd genuinely question my sense of judgment.

  "Is that okay?" Laself peeked into the alleyway, concern written all over her face. "I understand that you trust him and that he cares about you but are you fine with letting him do that?"

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  "Yep." Was I? Kind of. I know that Wardcruncha didn't have bad intentions and that the chances of him running away with my money is pretty low. That's good enough.

  "If you say so." Laself's smile said that she had been convinced, which I felt is a bit naive. Even I wouldn't believe my words. "He does seem like a good person, and he did haggle most of those coins out from adventurers."

  Right. Guess Wardcruncha working with her changed Laself's opinion on him, that's pretty cute. I hid my smile and went back to working on the food I'll sell for lunch. Usually a hearty meal is what workers would want, so I'm making something that's packed full of calories.

  Grilled crayfish and cheese sandwich paired with soup, these will be where most of my profit comes from. The rest of the stuff that I'm making will be additions that while cheap, gives buyers options on what they can get.

  Among them there are goat milk, crayfish hatchlings, and boiled eggs. I'll change things up tomorrow, maybe make a stew that'll last me the entire day but I'll also keep selling the more popular food since I know people will be coming back for them.

  Which of these things will be popular during lunch is a question that I'm hoping will get answered soon.

  ...

  Bylor Imicks Sicrusha walked across the town of Ghorise, his destination is the adventurers guild. But before that, he wanted to stop by a few places first, like an alchemist's shop or a magical wares store.

  It's been a while since he last did alchemy, but he still knew his way around it. He even knows how to transmute objects without a spell but he didn't want to show that around here, the risk of doing so is simply too much.

  The problem with places like Ghorise is that those running it are the type to be scared and paranoid about unknown things. An understandable reaction given what this world turned into over the centuries preceding the Forced Migration but Bylor still thinks it is over the top.

  After all, what's the harm in a little magic? So what if the natural laws get bent the wrong way? Who cares if it risks mutation? That's the point!

  It's beneficial even! People hunt monsters all the time don't they?!

  Unfortunate that no one would agree with him on that. People think magic is too dangerous, that it is not something to be interacted with that practitioners need to be killed.

  Except for a rare few individuals, independent mages are often hunted. If they're amicable enough, they can join the "good side" and not get killed but most of them don't.

  Beyond the fact that mages are naturally dangerous thanks to their spells– which are far deadlier than a normal sword. – and also that they can never be unarmed, there's the risk of them succumbing to the darkness of magic and being consumed, turning into aberrants.

  Magic is an inherently corrupting force, it's where monsters come from and although humans are resistant to this corruption– doubly so if they're a seasoned mage. – they aren't immune to it.

  As much as he hated to admit it, it is normal for rulers to regulate such a dangerous practice and the same goes for someone like Bylor, who wants those he cares about to practice magic safely. Preferably without the risk of becoming a maddened monster.

  There are multiple ways one can go about this. Such as not pushing one's magical limits, using wands and staffs to channel magic through, or carrying a grimoire to contain spells in place of the mage's own mind.

  But the safest option would be to get a class that can delay, protect against, and help prevent magical corruption. Preferably all three. Sub classes, while less effective, can also work.

  An innate understanding of magic and how it corrupts would be the best way to prevent someone from collapsing under its power. Thus, the best sub class for this purpose would be the [Rune Mage].

  Not only is it one of the most powerful magic classes out there, but its effectiveness also isn't diminished when it's just a sub class thanks to the class' unique way of spell casting.

  Like the name suggests, [Rune Mage]s rely on runes to cast their magic, either by spouting an incantation or by making scrolls. It is also more versatile, capable of casting all sorts of spells with the only limit being the caster's knowledge on a spell's corresponding runes.

  It is completely different from other classes which, while faster and less obvious when casting, have several limitations such as a heavy specialization in one element, requiring high magical stats to function, and other arbitrary things that hinder instead of aid.

  This is especially true if the class becomes a sub class.

  Given how powerful it is, it's only normal for [Rune Mage] to have extreme requirements for it to be obtained. Reading up on runes is a start, but Bylor knew Rontress wouldn't have that problem.

  Next would be a ritual that will open their mind to the magical energies of the world, allowing them to perceive raw magic and translate the energy into runes. Then last but not least, a magical stat around 50.

  Rontress is more than capable of learning the runic language and reaching 50 on her magical stat wouldn't be an issue after the ritual. There's no need for her to level up, even.

  That leaves the ritual itself, Bylor– or Wardcruncha as she likes to call him. – would be the one to set it up and make sure it is a success. With Rontress' money, he's able to buy a little over half of the materials that he'd need but he's not gonna do it half-heartedly.

  While expensive, using higher quality materials is better.

  Because if Rontress is to become a proper mage, then she's gonna have to see the truth of the world in order to comprehend the weight of such a role and the costs of the power that she's seeking.