Come to think of it, I had come a very long way. That wasn't to say in terms of physical distance. Compared to when I was a good-for-nothing slacker back in the countryside, the world around me had completely transformed.
Having finished the fourth exam, I was now simply waiting for the final exam. The first stage exam, which I had taken without knowing left from right; the second exam, which had me breaking out in a cold sweat; the third exam, where I had proved my magical competence. All of them already felt like distant memories.
Coming here to Ulm had opened my eyes to so much. The staggering divide that separated the countryside from the city. The realization that this gap hadn't formed by accident, but was forged by a tangle of competing interests. And... that I was standing right at the center of it all.
Even assuming I managed to become a court mage, the road ahead would hardly be smooth. The Church would keep a hostile eye on me, and the people of Ulm would look on with envy. I didn't know if nine lives would be enough to survive it.
Perhaps I had been far too ignorant before arriving here. At the very least, I hadn't imagined the royal capital held this degree of corruption and distortion. The fact that I hadn't realized it until my father was harmed proved just how hopelessly foolish I was—
"Um, excuse me, sir."
Amalia's voice pulled me out of my reverie. While lying down in the inn lost in thought, evening had settled in.
"You can come in."
"Pardon the intrusion!"
As I sat up and called out to her, Amalia stepped into the room. A baked treat rested on the tray in her right hand.
"Um... I brought you a sweet. If you'd like..."
"I'd love some. Could you set it on the desk?"
"Yes!"
Amalia beamed. Seeing her always so cheerful and constant was a genuine comfort. I pushed myself up from the bed and took a seat in the chair by the desk.
"Where did this treat come from? Did the owner bake it?"
"No, um..."
"?"
"J-Just try it and see!"
"Ah, all right."
Doing as I was told, I picked up one of the baked treats and took a bite. A satisfying, crisp crunch gave way to a gentle sweetness. The flavor was spot on.
"Yeah, this is delicious."
"Really?! Oh, thank goodness...!"
"Thank goodness...?"
"I baked it! You seemed to have such refined taste, sir, so I was really worried!"
I didn't recall being so finicky about food... Wait, no, I was. I was constantly making particular requests, telling them to add honey and making all sorts of demands. I suppose I had made for a convenient taste tester.
"It really is delicious. Good enough to sell in a shop of your own."
"You think so? Flattery won't get you anything from me, you know!"
"I'm not flattering you. I'm not that smooth."
What tasted good tasted good, and what tasted bad tasted bad. I believed it was far more honest to just say it plainly. I had never been good with two-faced pleasantries.
"Still, I'm really glad. It was worth working so hard on it."
"Is there a special occasion?"
When I asked, Amalia looked down, a bashful look crossing her face. Blushing, she scratched her cheek and spoke hesitantly.
"Seeing you work so hard on the mage examination, sir, made me feel like I had to keep up too."
"I haven't done anything that special..."
"Even after something so terrible happened to you. You still stayed in Ulm and took the exam again anyway..."
The terrible thing was, of course, what had happened to my father. Perhaps Amalia had her own thoughts on the matter. Even though she was younger than me, she had already left her family behind to pursue her own trade.
"You know, back in the countryside, I was completely useless. I couldn't do farm work, and I didn't have the stamina for physical labor."
"But you have magic, sir."
"Nobody uses magic out in the countryside. So in a way, I'm grateful to Ulm. It feels like this place gave me a path forward in life."
"...I was sure you had come to hate Ulm by now."
"I haven't forgiven them for attacking my father. But even so, this city is the only place where I can make a life for myself."
My family had been hurt, subjected to senseless violence. My uncle had met the same fate. That was why... I couldn't just back down now. I couldn't let my uncle's tragedy end as nothing more than a tragedy.
"...You really are amazing, sir. You're fighting hard for the sake of your father and uncle too, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Otherwise, I don't think I could ever face either of them."
"—In that case, won't you shoulder my share too?"
"Huh?"
Amalia grabbed my hand tightly. Staring straight into my eyes, she spoke with utmost earnestness.
"My dream is to have my own shop. But there are already so many shops in Ulm, and getting a new business permit is really difficult."
"Does that mean..."
"If you become a court mage, sir... I want you to use your influence to grant my dream too."
Did she mean that with the authority of a court mage, it would be easy to have a say in Ulm's merchant affairs? Regardless of whether it was actually possible... I couldn't just brush her earnest feelings aside.
"All right. I'll make sure it happens."
"Really?!"
"Yeah. Don't worry, your sweets are delicious, Amalia."
"Thank you so much! Um, how can I ever repay you...?!"
"You can worry about that after I pass. Don't sweat it."
As Amalia bowed over and over in gratitude, I offered her a reassuring smile.
It was later that very night that a messenger from the royal court arrived outside "Groot"—