Information… that wasn’t so bad. Gaius couldn’t make his minions suddenly appear in the city to gather intel. He probably could summon the animal ones, but aside from that, nothing. It will be hard to do that. Besides, it was clear that the guards were told to say and do that in the first place. In that world, obtaining information was a strenuous process thanks to the limitations of communication and the distances one would have to cross.

  Gaius realized that he probably could keep the girl safe by using one of his minions like the ant, the gray spider, or even the singing bird. They had the skills and parameters to get in the way if something happened to the girl, but would something happen?

  Gaius had come to learn about magic, and he didn’t know how the lessons would work, so he would have to be cautious about that. Still, the more money, the merrier. He was dead broke again, after all… he wanted to find a loophole for his minions, but the only thing he could do now was to produce some of those rings.

  “All right, I will keep an eye on her now and then,” Gaius finally replied.

  A diplomatic incident wasn’t out of the question, even though the territories of the states involved were two months away from each other. The last thing that Gaius needed was another war to make him fight for another dumbass against another dumbass.

  Before long, the group had dinner together and then they went to bed. One of the guards stayed awake to guard the other room of the girls. Still, that probably wasn’t necessary since Gaius managed to summon his ant to outside the room and guard the other window… he didn’t notice any changes with the creature as well.

  “I guess I can use the ant to steal things… it is bigger than my hand, so it should be able to dig on the brick of the ground and walls,” Gaius thought. “I just need to know where the rings are kept, or perhaps forged.”

  When morning came, they had an early breakfast and then got ready to head to the magic academy. The girl put on a nice summer dress for herself, while Gaius only had simple clothes. The girl looked like Rich Lady A while Gaius looked like Villager F.

  The guards took them to the entrance of the magic academy and they found some guards at the entrance. Only two of them, though. While they moved their glowing spears to block their path, they only did so without any ill intentions since they could see the scroll that they had written with them. Gaius passed to them.

  “... You two may enter. The Archmage is waiting for you two at the main tower.”

  Gaius felt like chuckling… to hear the word archmage at such a place. A small smile showed on his face, despite his much effort to hide his amusement. In the end, he nodded at the guards behind him and then crossed the gate.

  After passing through the gate, Gaius observed some training fields surrounding the path to the first building of the magic academy. The fields were notably large, with several intricate magic circles etched into the ground. This sight caused a realization in Gaius. He hadn’t considered the potential of using magic circles in combination with his own abilities.

  The presence of these circles indicated that magic was being used in structured, perhaps ritualistic, ways on a scale much larger than Gaius had imagined. He began to consider their purpose, considering whether they enhanced spells, amplified magical power, or served as some form of protection. Despite his growing knowledge of magic, this was an aspect of it he hadn’t fully considered, making him question whether he had underestimated how versatile magic could be when combined with such mechanisms.

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  This added another layer to Gaius’ curiosity about magic and reinforced his need to understand more about its practical applications. It was yet another reminder that there was much he didn’t know, despite his abilities. He could do a few things with mana, but he couldn’t discover more by himself in a few years than by an entire society.

  “Do you know the person we are going to talk to?” Gaius asked.

  “... I only heard a few things,” the girl replied.

  The girl marveled at the surroundings. It looked like she had been looking forward to the magic academy, but Gaius’ words made her wake up.

  “Do you want to talk with him?” Gaius asked. “I am unknown to them, only an extra as a soldier.”

  The girl began to think for a moment. In their own territory, Gaius might be famous, his accomplishments well-known and respected due to his involvement in battles. However, they were now in the magic state, a place where warriors and war likely held little significance. The people here were probably more interested in the study and mastery of magic rather than the deeds of soldiers on the battlefield.

  Gaius’ fame, which carried weight back home, would mean little in a place where magic reigned supreme. The Archmage and others in the academy would care more about arcane knowledge, spells, and magical research than tales of war. This realization made the girl understand that, despite Gaius’ status, he wouldn’t be recognized or treated with the same respect in this new setting. The focus would be on her, and any influence Gaius might have had as a soldier would be reduced to almost nothing in a place so disconnected from martial matters.

  “Pa… the Archmage should have been informed of your magic skills thanks to Lord Ekirenton already,” the girl said. “So, you can talk with him.”

  “How could he? The trip here took several months, and the war ended only a few weeks before I decided to come here.” Gaius furrowed his eyebrows.

  “... Lord Ekirenton has his means,” the girl said.

  That was just too suspicious, but Gaius decided not to give away his thoughts like that. He just looked away, interested, and kept his poker face. As expected, the girl should know a lot more about a lot of things he wasn’t aware of, and she had probably been informed by Ekirenton. Still, it was clear that she was taken aback, since based on what she had heard, Gaius was supposed to be a lot different, like a barbarian.

  In any case, they soon reached the first building thanks to an open corridor. The place looked like it was glowing and Gaius felt his skin tingling thanks to it… he could tell that the atmosphere made his skin tingle, probably because everything there had been made through magical means. Still, the quality and the clearness of the place showed how skilled the person who made all those parts was.

  Gaius and the girl continued walking in a straight line down the long corridor, the air thick with an academic atmosphere. As they moved, they passed a series of closed rooms, behind which they could hear the muffled voices of instructors giving lessons on magic. The occasional words, spells, incantations, and magical theories floated through the cracks in the doors, piquing Gaius’ interest.

  The corridor seemed endless, lined with dozens of rooms, each filled with students learning some type of magic. The sheer number of classrooms in that corridor alone made it clear just how many students the magic academy housed. The scale of the institution became more obvious with every step they took, showing that the magic state placed a high value on nurturing its magical talent. This wasn’t just a place of study; it was a center for the training of future mages, filled with young minds ready to master all sorts of spells.

  Eventually, they reached the center of the magic school, where they found the largest tower in the place. There was a spiral staircase going upward which would lead them to where the Archmage should be. So, they began to climb it.

  Gaius hoped to find an old man with hair, a massive beard, and a pointy hat pointing a staff to him and saying: you are a wizard, Gaius. And then Gaius would say: No shit, Sherlock. In any case, they had to climb almost two hundred steps before reaching the top of the tower. At least it was sealed, so it wasn’t windy despite being that tall. When Gaius was about to knock on it, he heard a voice.

  “Enter.”