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Chapter 17: Weight Reduction Workshop

Yerica swallowed hard at Ethans words.

Is he really going to remove this curse?

Every day she had imagined the day she would remove it.

She imagined not running from her pursuers but fighting back.

And she would get her revenge.

Revenge against those who had framed and killed her grandfather, and revenge against her mother for the sacrifice she had made.

Every day she envisioned the day when she would absorb all the knowledge in her head, learn magic, and avenge them.

But it seemed so far in the future. There was no way to remove the curse right away.

She had tried countless methods, but so far they had all failed.

Relax, itll be over soon.

Yerica nodded at Ethans words.

Ethan immediately took the potion from his hand and handed it to her.

It was a potion made from the silver lily he had made earlier.

If you drink this, it will remove the curse, but not all of it.

The curse upon her was imposed by powerful forces or individuals with supernatural abilities.

So making a potion with silver lilies wouldnt break them all.

Its a kind of poison that works inside the body.

Therefore, in order to completely remove it, he had to make a higher-grade potion and give it to her.

A complete cure is not possible at my level.

For now, it was best to weaken the curse as much as possible.

A perfect mage wasnt what he needed right now anyway.

Being able to use some of the magic she wanted was enough.

You can drink it.

Yes.

She squeezed her eyes shut and drank the potion made of silver lilies.

Gulp, gulp.

It smelled quite foul, but she swallowed hard, knowing it would remove her curse.

!

The reaction was immediate as the potion entered her body.

Her cheeks turned bright red and her whole body heated up.

And her stomach began to rumble.

Ughthis is

At Yericas fierce glare, Ethan hastened to calm her down.

Hang in there. The medicine is usually more effective when its bitter.

With that, Yerica grimaced and held on.

After a while, the pain slowly faded.

Ethan watched her face grow calm and spoke calmly.

Try using magic.

At those words, Yerica immediately recalled a spell in her head.

It was a spell she hadnt been able to use because her bodys mana wasnt working properly, even though she knew all the formulas.

Wooong.

Little by little, mana began to circle her body.

Gradually, the amount of mana increased, and it went where she wanted it to go.

Ah

It worked.

The mana moved.

The curse on her body weakened.

Yericas eyes reddened for a moment.

It isnt completely removing the curse. Its a very powerful one. Thats the limit of my abilities right now. You can only about the first level kind of magic, but there should be still quite a bit of it you can use.

It was an emotional moment, but Ethan assured Yerica.

 This didnt mean that it completely removed the curse.

Thank you so much.

But Yerica was also grateful that the curse had been weakened.

Just being able to use some of the magic she couldnt use was a salvation to her.

I will never forget this favor.

Lets repay it right away, then?

What?

Of the magic you can use now.

Ethan chuckled.

You know weight reduction magic, right?

* * *

Items in MePan had weight.

Weapons, armor, etc. had realistic weights, and some equipment could not be used at all if the players strength stat was low.

In such cases, they could only be used by using support magic or artifacts that increased their strength.

If you have a certain amount of strength stats, you can use them all. The problem is controlling them.

When wearing heavy armor, of course, players agility decreased.

They couldnt move as quickly, theyd be slower.

The same applied to heavy weapons.

If they were heavy, they were unwieldy.

Yerica looked slightly surprised, then nodded.

I know. One of my grandfathers magic was weight reduction. How did you know about it?

I read a lot of books. Thats where I got to know the Archmage. He was an amazing man.

Yerica looked proud at that.

Our Young Master loves books very much.

Schudlen marveled, remembering Ethans knowledge back as they first entered the Dark Forest.

I can use weight reduction magic. Its not like normal weight reduction magic, its much more effective.

Yerica was motivated.

Are you trying to use my weight reduction magic on the equipment youre wearing?

No.

Ethan grinned.

Im going to make money off of it.

* * *

Upon returning to Pirenne, Ethan immediately used all the money he had.

Everything is well arranged, Young Master!

The reason he wanted Yerica first was partly for escort reasons, partly for her potential, and partly because she was essential for Ethans plan.

This will be your workshop from now on. Good work, Schudlen. Its not a bad place.

Thank you, Young Master.

Ethan set up a workshop there.

After setting up a workshop, he planned to start a business.

So were going to use weight reduction magic to make peoples gear lighter and get paid for it. Hmmm. Arent there already people doing this kind of business?

I suppose, but isnt yours different in its effect? Its an archmages weight reduction magic, and its much more naturally reduced than a normal wizards weight reduction magic.

Yes, it is, and its a semi-permanent weight reduction magic.

Thats the thing.

Ethan said in a convinced tone.

It doesnt have to be semi-permanent.

What? Semi-permanent weight reduction magic is a higher-level weight reduction magic, though.

Im saying theres no need for anything higher-level about it.

Im not sure I understand what youre saying.

Simply put, its the customers problem. If this is a semi-permanent weight reduction magic, you pay once and youre done. But what if this weight reduction magic only lasts for 30 days, or 60 days, or whatever, and then it wears off?

Only then did Yericas eyes widen as she understood what Ethan meant.

It wasnt just about the effectiveness of the magic.

What Ethan was trying to do was business.

The most important thing in business was profitability.

How to keep that profit coming, and how to generate it, was the most important thing.

If the effect was time-limited rather than semi-permanent, people would come back for more.

If they like it, theyll come back for more, Im sure.

The better the effect, the better. Its not like the weight reduction enchantment they do elsewhere.

Ethan grinned.

And Yerica. The weight reduction magic you can use is the best amongst the other weight reduction magic.

Doesnt this could make us rich!?

Schudlens shoulders shook at the perfection of Ethans plan.

But its the first customers that count, and theyre the ones who will spread the word.

The target market for the business was adventurers, knights, mercenaries, and other people who use gears.

But. dont these people already have workshops they go to regularly?

Of course, they do, because theyll get a little more cheaply if theyre regulars, and they get other items enchanted for free.

But how do we get those people, I.

Yerica trailed off, a troubled look on her face.

She was being chased by a lot of people right now.

Even if the curse was weakened, if a Beast King-level powerful person came, it would be difficult to deal with.

Well just broaden the target a bit.

Target?

Well, weight reduction magic has a wide range of effects, and higher-level mages have better weight reduction magic, and those mages usually have higher pride.

That was why they were so selective about who they used weight reduction magic on.

I have some memories of being annoyed because of that.

The number of mages who could enchant equipment was small, and some enchantments were monopolized by only one mage.

Most mages were stubborn and didnt give away their enchantments easily, so only a very few could use their powers.

What if we made this a business?

What if we made this power available to everyone?

Theres enough demand.

But we have no pride. Well cast a weight reduction magic on anyone for money.

Is money the same as pride?

Of course.

Yerica smiled slightly at Ethans words.

She too had seen enough to know that magic is just magic.

The climate is warm here in Pirenne, and with the surrounding plains, many people farm, and the lord encourages it.

Dont tell me

For a moment, Yericas eyes widened.

If she understood Ethan correctly, then she didnt need to think about her pursuers right now.

Yes. Well enchant their farming tools to make them lighter. Farmers are our first targets.

* * *

Its heavy. Heavy.

It was a pickaxe he used every day, but he never got used to the weight. When he was younger, he was full of energy and could spend hours hoeing, but as he got older, things changed.

My muscles were getting weaker and weaker, and the work was getting harder and harder, so he started to get aches and pains here and there.

You should hoe a little less.

Shaaak

Because of this, most farmers sought treatment at the nearby monastery.

It was because it was the cheapest thing to do, and the monks were basically good.

But how can I quit, monk? I need to get this old body moving so I can support my grown son.

I too still have to pay the academy tuition.

Despite the monks advice, the farmers could only grunt.

Hmmmm.

The monks, knowing their situation, could only sigh and repeat the same thing.

As the farmers walked away, they noticed a new sign.

Huh?

Weight reduction workshop?

It says Ethans Lightweight Workshop.

Weight reduction workshop? Ive heard of that before.

Isnt that what those knights always use? Something that makes things lighter!

I didnt know there was such a thing in our city.

Hmmm. Should we go inside?

Ah no! Theyre not going to cast a weight reduction magic on farmers like us, no way!

Still. Hmm

As they pondered, a fairly young man appeared before them.

He smiled at them and said.

Welcome.

Dont be afraid to come in.

Well, is that okay?

Of course. Youre always welcome.

The farmers were lulled into a false sense of security by the soft, trusting voice and entered the workshop.

Welcome.

Inside, a wizard with a robe covering her face greeted them.

Hmm. Cough. Do you, uh, do you do weight reduction enchantments on things like this?

Like what?

The farming tools. We were wondering if you could enchant our pickaxes and other farming tools to make them lighter. Were farmers, after all, and weve been having some aches and pains lately.

The farmers shrugged because of course they didnt think they would enchant their equipment.

There was a part of them that wondered what kind of weight reduction magic was possible for mere beings like them.

We can do that for you.

What!?

A-are you sure?

We dont discriminate here at Ethans Weight Loss Workshop. Heres the price list. 30 days, 60 days. Extended-term pricing is here.

!

It wasnt cheap, but the farmers didnt mind.

It was a small price to pay to be able to work that long without getting sick.

I-if you really want to do this.

Lets take the 30 days for now!

Please!

Behind them, Ethan was watching them with a hearty smile.

The business was off to a good start.