The air inside the Magician's Guild carried the heavy scent of old paper, the kind that belonged in old libraries like the ones he used to see when visiting museums in his past life.
But despite the musty smell, the Magician's Guild was lavishly decorated, showcasing fine works of art and adornments that wouldn't look out of place in a noble state.
It was still nothing compared to the halls on the 9th floor, but as far as places in this New World went, it was the most opulent he had visited so far.
It's smaller than I was expecting.
The reception hall was at most half the size of the one at the Adventurer's Guild.
The people walking in and out of the front door were very different, too.
Young adventurers in exotic garments flooded the gates of the Adventurer's Guild, people who talked loudly, were quick to curse, and quicker to draw their weapons on each other.
In the Magician's Guild, on the other hand, Ainz saw only well-mannered mages, leaning more toward the older side, dealing with clients dressed in fancy clothes who exuded the high-class air of someone who regularly dealt with nobles.
Maybe it was due to this difference that upon passing through the front door, all eyes turned to him, or rather, to the warrior clad from head to toe in black armor and carrying two large swords on his back.
The fanciful design of his armor seemed to draw some appreciation from those gazing at him, earning him a modicum of respect that the visible copper plate in his chest quickly destroyed.
Then again, by now, he was used to the stares that followed him wherever he went.
How curious.
He looked at the ground before turning his gaze to the walls, then to the ceiling, as they moved to the nearest receptionist.
"Welcome to the Magician's Guild! Do you want to buy a scroll, request a service, or register?"
The receptionist was an attractive young woman with auburn hair.
She wore a professional smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, which were filled with dark circles.
"We are here to make her registration." He patted Lupusregina on the shoulder and brought her to the front of the group.
The Magician's Guild worked in a similar way to the Adventurer's Guild, only that it employed individual mages instead of parties.
Much like the quests given by the Adventurer's Guild, the Magician's Guild accepted requests for mages from customers.
In a magic filled world such as this, it wasn't uncommon for someone to be faced with a problem that required the help of a magic caster.
In such cases, the Magician's Guild would act as a middleman between a magician and the client, taking a portion of the payment in the process.
Still, the most lucrative business for the guild was still selling magic scrolls.
Magic Scrolls were similar to wands in that they could store spells and be used without expending MP, but unlike wands, they were cheaper single-use items.
The Treasury in Nazarick held thousands of such magic scrolls, ranging from the 1st to the 10th tier.
Unfortunately, they still hadn't found a way to produce scrolls from high-tier spells since coming to this world, which was one of his concerns.
Titus has been working on creating new scrolls lately. I wonder if he's found any success in his experiments. Maybe I should pay him a visit and see if there's something he needs.
Titus was the head librarian in Nazarick, living on the 10th floor.
He was a high-level skeleton mage with a build focused on production classes.
As such, he and the master Blacksmith were spearheading the development of new methods for producing items using materials from this world.
Oh yeah, I heard Mystra is also with them.
That lass only gets excited when magic is involved.
"Oh! Of course, just one minute."
The receptionist went to a back room, leaving behind a residual aura of undeath that was as clear as day to Ainz.
I wonder why there are so many undead hidden in this place.
And for even the receptionist to be a necromancer… what's going on here?
As he looked around, he identified more than a dozen undead hidden in the building, and by using [Blessing of Life] to invert [Undead Blessing], he could also tell they were staying right beside living beings, meaning they were only hidden from the Guild's visitors.
While it's not illegal to practice necromancy in this Kingdom, it's my understanding that it is still something frowned upon by the masses, so I would be willing to bet that something shady is going on in this place.
As he was considering investigating the situation, the receptionist returned with an older man, who quickly explained how the assessment would happen.
…
"What!"
"Incredible!"
"For someone so young to be this accomplished… What were those idiots at the Adventurer's Guild thinking by giving such a prodigy only a copper plate?"
"Someone call the Guild master!"
Once Lupusregina cast a 4th-tier spell during her assessment, many of the proud mages inside the Guild lost their minds and surrounded her, singing her praises while cursing the people in the Adventurer's League.
Was 4th-tier still too high?
Should I have limited her to the 3rd-tier?
For this mission, he initially wanted to make Lupita a character who could use 5th-tier spells, but after seeing how shocked the members of Sword of Darkness were when he simply killed a few Ogres, he lowered her limit to the 4th tier.
The people in this city seemed to have a hard time even wrapping their heads around the level of power of someone like Gazef Stronoff, with many still wondering aloud whether Momon could beat the Warrior Captain after what he demonstrated in his duel with Kalgra.
But unlike martial prowess, magic was tiered, so one could clearly gauge someone's level by the tier of spells they could cast.
If Lupusregina were immediately recognized as someone in the Realm of Heroes, his reputation would be overshadowed by hers, which wouldn't be ideal.
Only once he had made his name known through the Re-Estize Kingdom would it be time to reveal a bit more of her strength.
At that time, her status would only increase his fame.
"Let me through!"
Suddenly, the gathering of magicians parted, making way for a middle-aged man with long black hair.
Seeing the respectful stances of the other mages, Ainz understood that this man was the Guildmaster.
Theo Varker was the name floating above this man with dark eyes, who wore a black robe that screamed evil wizard, a name written in a barely lighter green than Ninya's, yet still darker than Nigun.
The aura of undeath surrounding him was stronger than the receptionist's.
"Is this the 4th-tier prodigy?" He made his way toward Lupusregina, scrutinizing her with a dark gaze.
He seemed to want to intimidate her, which was quite funny, and judging by her expression, she found it hilarious.
"Yes, master. She is a 4th-tier divine caster."
The receptionist quickly replied to Theo's question.
"A divine caster, huh?"
Ainz saw a calculating gleam in Theo's eyes, which the man quickly concealed.
***
"Why did you buy these magic scrolls, Momon?"
On the way back to the inn, Ninya finally asked after hesitating for a long time.
She hadn't been surprised by Lupita's 4th-tier spell; her presence and, most importantly, the fact that she accompanied Momon on his travels were clear testaments to her abilities.
In fact, she wouldn't be surprised even if Lupita started casting 5th-tier spells.
That was just how much she trusted Momon's abilities.
But what he did right before they left surprised her.
"Hum? It's just that I've never seen these spells before, so I got curious."
Momon shrugged, seemingly finding her question weird.
"You're curious about magic scrolls? But aren't you a warrior?"
She could have understood if Momon were a spellsword, but as far as she could tell, the man was clearly a pure warrior, so these scrolls would be useless in his hands.
"Well, so you feel that warriors can't be interested in magic?"
Momon laughed and ruffled her hair, clearly in a good mood.
The large, armored hand felt cold and hard, but she was surprised to find she didn't mind.
She looked up at him, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"It's not that. It's just that these spells aren't even useful in battle, and I don't think Lupita will be able to cast them, so it feels like you wasted your money."
[Create Paper], [Floating Board], and [Temperature Change] were common low-tier spells with no combat application, so she didn't understand what had attracted Momon to them.
"It's precisely the fact that they are not useful in combat that makes them so interesting to me. You can consider it a hobby of mine."
Then, as if noticing her confused expression, he continued.
"Tell me, Ninya, what do you think a spell is?"
A spell?
"Isn't it just how a magic caster uses magic?"
"That is a very pragmatic definition, and I know that many people would agree with you, but I think differently."
Momon stopped and unsheathed his swords.
"The realm of a warrior is their body. They train to make their body stronger, but also to get better at using it. More skilled, if you will. But the way they use their bodies and what is the ideal type of body varies according to the profession."
"An assassin needs not only to be faster, but also to move silently. A ranger needs to train their senses, while a fencer needs a great rhythm to dodge attacks and counterattack."
"Professions are born out of necessity by people who have different strengths and different needs. People naturally have different builds, so as the body is the realm of a warrior, people naturally search for different ways to be powerful. And the spell is to a mage what the body is to a warrior."
"You see, for me, a spell is not so much an application of magic as it is a statement given by a mage, their answer to a problem they want to solve."
"People learned how to weave as they tried to face the cold, created medicines to fight diseases, axes to cut trees, carriages to better move long distances, to build houses so they could protect themselves from the elements, and so forth."
"Spells are a type of solution that only magic casters are capable of giving. They may look at a problem they are facing, or maybe just be trying to see if something is possible, and then they will experiment, weaving the magic around them until it takes the shape of a spell they can cast."
"As such, each spell serves as a window by which you can understand and communicate with other mages, most of whom you may not ever see personally. You can see what they were trying to achieve, and how they reached their conclusion."
"As a magic caster, you might not agree with the applications they gave to magic, but understanding different perspectives will help you maintain an open mind, which is the most important trait for a mage."
As Momon finished his lecture, Ninya stared at him with wide eyes.
Never before had she heard anyone speak of magic and spells with so much depth.
And it had come from a warrior of all people.
He might not have shown knowledge about any specific spell, but the way he spoke almost made her forget that Momon wasn't a magic caster.
"You sound like an old experienced mage…"
She spoke without thought, but Momon visibly flinched.
"Oh, is that so? It's very kind of you to think like that."
"That's nothing. But do you know any powerful mage, Momon?"
The way Momon talked about magic made her think that he must have been taught by a very wise mage.
"Yes, I know a few, but why do you ask?"
"Because I want to learn more about magic."
Momon turned silent for a moment before answering her.
"That might be difficult, but I can check later."
"Thanks."
They continued in silence until they reached the inn, where an old man, dressed as a butler, stopped them.
"Excuse me, but are you Momon?"
"I am, but who are you?"
"Oh, perfect!"
The old butler bowed perfunctorily, then handed Momon a piece of paper.
"My master invites you to accompany him for lunch today."