“What do you mean?” I asked, warily. Why was this woman so hostile all of the sudden?

“I received a report from your headmaster that you tried to avoid this responsibility? Is that true?” She asked pointedly.

I scratched my chin as Blackwing gave me an amused look. “Well, I may have inquired about the possibility of maybe seeking alternate employment…” I admitted.

“Unacceptable!” Primrose said angrily. “This is the most important job for a mage! You should be proud of being selected. It is the reward for your hard work! Why did you work so hard to become the top graduate if you didn’t want this job?!”

I shrugged slightly. In truth, becoming the top of my class wasn’t that hard. By happenstance, I’d been born with an unusually strong talent for magic. Whatever flaws I might have had as a student, such as poor performance in group projects due to my lack of friends among my noble classmates or a tendency to finish my assignments at the last minute, I could simply overcome with raw magical strength.

My professors had generally all agreed that whenever faced with a practical exam that tested my ability to actually cast spells, none of my classmates had come close.

I honestly didn’t really feel like I’d earned the honor of graduating top of my class, as I’d put in much less effort than most of my classmates with more normal mana capacity. It was a lot easier to practise when I could cast twice as many spells per day than any of my peers. Additionally, I'd never had to reread my textbooks to do well in tests as I'd genuinely enjoyed learning about magic theory. It was unfortunate then that the one thing that wasn’t necessary to be the court wizard was to actually be a strong spellcaster.

“Is it really that important a job?” I asked, deciding to let my frustrations out, “So far as I can tell a court wizard is mostly there to be an advisor to the king, not much else. I’d rather be doing something where I can either learn more about magic, practice my skills in some way, or actually do something that makes a difference.”

“As if being the king’s advisor weren’t an important job!” Primrose huffed, outraged, “But a court wizard does so much more. He or she is also the liaison between the king and the Mage’s Guild. You are expected to supply the royal guard’s alchemy and enchanting needs. You are expected to help protect the king and nation. In a war between kingdoms, the Wizard's Guild, being the world’s most powerful international organization, is required to stay neutral. By international treaty, in the event of a war, only the court wizards of each country are allowed to take part. You’re a vital strategic asset!”

“The kingdom’s been at peace for almost a century,” I countered. “And rogue mages willing to risk attacking a king’s family? Hasn’t happened in over a century.”

“It won’t be at peace for long if what my reports say is correct,” Primrose warned, “I’ve got a channel with the kingdom’s spymaster, and his reports are part of the reason we replaced our last court wizard, a gentle old man with mediocre talent, with a more powerful younger mage like you. As for rogue wizards, they’re more common than you think, incidents involving them are just kept quiet, as no one wants to admit they exist.”

“Ah, is that supposed to make me more inclined to want this job?” I snorted, “If anything, you make it sound like this job is worse than I thought it was.”

“You could have said “no”,” Primrose said, giving me a flat stare.

“So people keep telling me,” I said with a sigh, “But we both know there would have been unpleasant consequences if I had.”

“Well, if you lack patriotism, there’s still personal interest.” Primrose said with a hint of disdain, “Court wizards are paid very well. In addition to the large salary, free lodging in a very luxurious home, the kingdom also pays me a household budget to handle the salaries of everyone working for you, food, maintenance, and other random expenses such as buying new clothes. You should be grateful for this opportunity!”

I don’t reply, and the carriage remains silent until we reach our destination and the driver got down to open the door. But Primrose has given me much to think about. I’d never really thought about my patriotism. Honestly, the affairs of nations had always seemed so distant from my life, that the idea of being loyal to my own nation was more of an abstract thing than anyone else. To me, being a citizen of my kingdom just meant I had a duty to know and follow its laws. Loyalty beyond obedience was something for nobles and other important people to worry about. It was disconcerting to think that I’d become important enough for my loyalty to actually matter. But gratitude for being drafted into this job? I simply didn't feel it.

Well, perhaps this job won’t be as boring as I thought it would be, and I’d actually get a chance to put my skills to use, I thought to myself. Though the idea of killing people makes me queasy, I did actually enjoy enchanting; it was my best subject. I also was a competent alchemist. I would more than earn that salary by using those two skills, I told myself. And with any luck, Primrose was just being alarmist about the possibility of war.

Stepping into the luxury tailor’s store was like stepping into another world. In my life, I’d never seen so much silk and fancy textiles gathered in a single spot. None of the available dresses and outfits had price tags, and I suspected that anyone who had to ask what the price on these items was, probably couldn’t afford them.

“Are we ready to take his measurements?” Primrose asked the nervous looking shopkeeper.

“Madaam Primrose, I’m afraid we will not be able to complete that rush order you’ve asked for. We’ve been committed to a different rush order of higher priority. We will of course be offering you a full refund…”

“Higher priority?! This is the new court wizard!” Primrose objected, gesturing at me and raising her voice.

“I’m afraid it’s a matter of royalty… I am so terribly sorry.” The shopkeeper looked nervous, especially once I started frowning at him. I never thought of myself as intimidating, but the man was definitely not happy about his situation.

“Royalty?” Primrose muttered softly, “Which one was it?! The third princess?” She asked sharply.

“I’m afraid I can’t divulge,” the shopkeeper admitted, “I was instructed to keep my client confidential…”

“Damn, she’s already making her move.” Primrose muttered.

“Who is?”

“Only the third princess has the temperament and resources to do something this petty.”

“Why would she? What does she gain by this?” I asked, confused.

“Hmm, she was friends with the last court wizard. Part of the reason he was replaced was that the king felt the old court wizard had begun siding with the first prince’s faction against the crown prince. I’ll explain later. For now, I need to figure out what we can do… this was the only place that could have produced something adequate for you in a single day. They specialize in rapid assembly of expensive garments.”

Wow, did the capital really need such a service? “Let’s just get something else, off the shelf, maybe?” I suggested.

Primrose gave me a look one would normally give to a particularly slow child, “You can’t just wear anything, what place stocks high-end wizard’s robes? People who can afford clothes suitable for the royal court will always have their clothes custom-made. It’d almost be worse if you just showed up in typical off-the-shelf courtier attire, it would make you look like a rich commoner with more money than sense.”

“We’ll be happy to provide something for you within two day’s time, at a substantial discount for the inconvenience. As soon as we’re done with our current assignment…” the shopkeeper offered, with a pleading tone.

“Absolutely unacceptable, this man is to be presented to the king tomorrow. Just return my payment and I will make a point of spreading the news of this incident to every head butler I know, just to ensure no one ever trusts you to keep your commitments again. Maybe the princess will be your customer, but no butler wants to risk their job with someone who’s this susceptible. And I assure you, it’s usually the head butlers who place the last-minute emergency orders, not the nobles themselves.”

The shopkeeper’s face had grown pale. “No please, I had no choice… you can’t ruin me like that! It was a royal decree!”

“Wait Primrose, I have an idea; I can modify one of my existing uniforms. If the objective is to make a good first impression… I might have something that will work.”

“It would have to be an extremely amazing idea to turn, that,” she said gesturing at the clothes I was wearing, “into something suitable.”

“Ahem, I was thinking of enchanting it,” I explained.

Primrose’s face grew curious, “Oh? Tell me more.”

“Enchanting clothes is something I’ve been working on. Unfortunately, it’s not very practical, as there’s no way to wash an outfit that’s been enchanted without destroying the enchantment; too fragile. But if you just need me to look good for one event, I could manage it. Then this shopkeeper will supply us with an outfit for the next day and we’ll be set.” Honestly, I was only volunteering to do this because I felt bad for the shopkeeper having his business ruined because of one princess’ pettiness and one butler’s vindictiveness. Enchanting something as fragile as clothes was tricky and difficult work. It was definitely not how I wanted to spend my first day in my new home after a long carriage ride.

“Yes! Yes!” The shopkeeper said, “We’ll do your outfit at cost, it will be ready in two days, no matter what!”

I turned to face the shopkeeper, “I’ll also need a skilled seamstress who can work with gold thread, the enchantment requires complex patterns sewn with that material.”

The shopkeeper looked pained, “I’ll send one of my workers back with you, if I work the rest all night, we should still be able to finish on time…”

Poor seamstresses, I thought to myself but said nothing.

“The worker and the gold thread will be provided free of charge, and the outfit will be at cost,” Primrose told the shopkeeper with a deadly glare, “if you want me to not spread this incident to all my peers. I’m sure the princess is paying you more than enough that you will still make a handsome profit!”

The shopkeeper nodded fervently, accepting the terms, not realizing that he’d all but confirmed that it had in fact been the princess who was behind this whole affair.

Back outside, we mounted the carriage with a nervous seamstress weighed down with tools and gold thread in tow. She was a mousy young woman who looked too shy to speak, but she was surprisingly pretty. Her features were soft and rounded, giving her an adorable look, but she was a bit too skinny and lacked confidence. “My name is Jason,” I told her, to break the silence, “What’s yours?”

“Lily,” she replied softly.

“Flirt later,” Primrose told me with a sniff, causing the shy seamstress’s face to blush red.

“I wasn’t flirting,” I protested, “I was just being polite!”

“Be polite later,” Primrose said curtly, “We have to get you a staff next, there’s a shop that serves mages near here. Too bad they don’t also produce robes, but instead focus on enchanted items like staves.”

“There's no enchanted clothes being made?” I asked.

"There's not enough enchanters. Who would spend their time on fragile magic clothes when they can make more selling more permanent enchantments? Everyone wants magic armor and weapons, or protective jewelry with wards," Primrose replied.

"I suspect you could probably put those same wards on an article of clothing instead," I mused, "If the durability issue could be solved."

“Sounds interesting. Well if you want to steal Lily here away from that shop, to help you work on magic clothes, I’ll put her on retainer,” Primrose said with a shrug. “It’s good to have research projects as a hobby, just remember that your real job comes first,” she added sternly.

“Oh, I wouldn’t mind that,” Lily said shyly, "I’d love to be a retainer to the court wizard.”

“Of course you wouldn't mind," Primrose said with a laugh, "A retainer gets free room and board, and it's a higher status job. Ok, then its settled, if nothing else, It’ll serve as petty revenge to steal you away from that odious merchant,” Primrose said with a shrug.

“Ah…” I’d just been making idle conversation, how’d I end up hiring someone so quickly? I must have made a face because Primrose shot me a glance.

“Don’t worry about it, if you can’t keep her busy I’ll find uses for her. A household of your size could use a seamstress, it might be cheaper in the long run than hiring freelancers. It’s a trivial cost,” She explained. “And if you find yourself a mistress it’ll be harder for those nobles to tempt you with a pretty skirt,” she muttered angrily, perhaps thinking of the previous court wizard.

Lily blushed harder, but there was something in the way she looked at me from under eyelashes that suggested she’d not be opposed to the idea. I shook my head in disbelief and looked out the window. Was this how nobles normally operated? I’d certainly lived too sheltered a life if this was how the royal court typically behaved. I didn’t plan to take advantage of Lily like that, though she was quite attractive.

The magic shop was a much more familiar place, if a bit more upscale than the one I’d frequented back at the academy. I knew there were more than a few wizards working in the capital, mostly in the business of enchanting. Only wizards had the required knowledge and training to handle that very lucrative business, but there was work for more humble mages in the city. There was a massive dungeon beneath the royal city, and many valuable resources were extracted from it. Most larger cities had such a dungeon, and the royal palace’s original purpose had been to guard the dungeon from unauthorized use, and to prevent break-outs. There was still a wing of the palace that handled that task, from what I understood.

“Welcome!” The shopkeeper said enthusiastically, “Is this the new court wizard I’ve heard so much about? My name is Tenstone, it is an honor to meet you,” the dwarf said, clasping my hand between his own and bowing.

“Likewise,” I replied, “My name is Jason.”

“Of course, sir Jason, I already knew, I’ve heard about you from my cousin at the Academy,” he explained, excited.

“Oh?”

“He said you were a gifted enchanter, you sold him some student work that was better than most graduate work. I was hoping I could establish business ties, perhaps you’d be willing to produce some goods for me? Imagine how much we could charge for something “made by the court wizard”!” He told me gleefully.

Enchanting was my passion, so I was pleased to be recognized for it. "Thank you for the kind words." I replied.

“You can negotiate that sort of thing with me later,” Primrose interrupted, “If the court wizard has the time and is interested, I’ll draw up some paperwork and serve as an intermediate.”

“Of course, of course,” the shopkeeper looked hurt, “I wasn’t planning on swindling the lad…”

“I understand, but there’s procedures, you know how it is. A court wizard’s time is valuable, and right now we’re in a dreadful hurry. We need a staff that looks good enough for a royal court. It doesn’t have to be a good staff, just an elegant one.”

“Now you’re just being cruel!” Tenstone said indignantly, “I’ll have you know there is nothing but the best quality goods here, and they are all elegant!”

“Gold trim, purple diamond, black oak, then.”

“Purple diamond… woman do you think I’ve got a diamond large enough for a proper staff, much less a purple diamond? I have amethyst…”

Did diamonds really come in purple? I wondered.

Primrose must have some sort of sixth sense because she caught my confused look, “Purple diamonds are a synthetic product, made by dwarven gem crafters. No one knows how they’re made, but they’re in fashion. We need something dramatic, I’ll have to break out the reserve fund, but just so you know, it’ll be the property of your office, not yours personally, so you won’t get to keep it after you find a new job.”

“Dramatic? How about dragon bone? I’ve got a shipment just the other day, we can top it with a petrified wyvern’s claw holding an amethyst, it will look spectacular. Only problem is that it hasn’t been properly enchanted yet… but you could buy the blank staff and enchant it yourself,” Tenstone suggested.

“Hmmm… isn’t the enchantment half the price of the staff?”

“Perhaps, but I’d get a fair bit of advertising if I can claim my store provided the staff the court wizard uses, and if he enchants it himself, it will no doubt be memorable for more than just looking pretty.”

Tenstone and Primrose both turned to look at me, to judge my reaction to the idea. Did I have time to both enchant a staff and clothes in one night? I considered it, then sighed, I could do it, but only if I gave up on sleep.

“Well if I’m enchanting it personally, I’m planning to keep it,” I told Primrose.

“Fair enough,” Primrose agreed readily. The way the two had quickly decided on which staff to give me gave me the impression that they’d both planned to give me the dragonbone staff from the start, and had put on a show to get me to agree to enchant it myself.

At least the staff itself was very pretty, and dragon bone was both lighter and sturdier than wood, as well as having exceptional magic conductivity. I was excited about enchanting it, though I wished I wasn’t in such a rush. Oh well, I could do it in stages, do the basic layers first tonight, so I’d be able to use it to channel magic, then do the extras later.

“I’ll need a better carving knife for this,” I muttered, examining the staff closely. My current enchanting kit was fairly standard for students working on wood but dragon bone? It would not be sufficient.

“I’ve also got enchanted knives, I could give you a small one that could do the job.”

I glanced at Primrose, to see if she’d pay for it, she nodded, then proceeded to haggle for a minute over the small knife that the dwarven shopkeeper presented me with. It had a very fine point, and while it would make an adequate carving knife, I suspected its original purpose was that of a concealable weapon. Whoever had enchanted it to be sharp had done an exceptional job of scribing the runes on such a small surface.

That task completed, we got back on the carriage and headed back to my home, where Primrose showed me to a well-furnished workroom. The large room had a magnifying lens attached to a workstation, as well as many assorted tools, and a crucible for melting gold for the engraving.

With a sigh, I got to work; it was going to be a long night. I started on the clothes first so that I could send Lily to get some sleep while I worked on the staff.