Point of View: Christopher Roosevelt

  The past few weeks had been hectic; I had been moving back and forth across Valdora. We had started producing paper and small bombs made of clay, with a cord as a fuse soaked in oil. My current inventory: 40 bombs with a lethal blast radius of 1.5 meters, nearly 1 kg of sulfur, 3 kg of gunpowder, 50 Lyndors we had earned from selling paper, ink, paper, a backpack, a magic cloak, a magic storage ring, and my clothes.

  My gaze drifted worriedly to the cart I had borrowed from Thrain and to the lizard people called a horse. ‘I’m surprised you went all the way to the stables and didn’t notice this,’ Magnus quipped. I was already getting used to the lack of privacy inside my own mind. If this thing turns me into a snack, I swear I’ll come back from hell just to beat Thrain up.

  Seven, Perucia, and Thrain were handling paper production. I also left them with some specifications and steps they needed to follow to increase the daily sheet output. Since I would be splitting my profits with these three, increasing my revenue was urgent. I was at one of the nobles’ residences. Testing the bombs in the city was out of the question—it would attract too much attention.

  A beachfront house made of stone and light beige wood came into view, surrounded by a fence of black metal and stone. I could see palm trees inside the garden. From the door to the gate, a path of tiles made from the same white stone as the mansion and fence led the way. ‘Shouldn’t someone be here to receive us?’ Magnus asked.

  I took a deep breath and let my body relax in the cart’s seat. “Let’s wait, Magnus. It’s not like we have anything better to do. By the way, want to play mental chess?” Magnus had asked me about this game a few days ago. I had spent a long time in my life playing online matches. Playing alone was boring, but I had a genius mage inside my head, so we passed the time playing.

  After several matches, which I sketched out on a sheet of paper so I wouldn’t lose track, our fun was interrupted by what looked like a group of armored men approaching. “Now what?” I let my thoughts slip as I reached for the cloak stored in my bag. I grabbed a flint in one hand and one of the bombs I had made in the other.

  ‘Wait, aren’t you going to try talking to them before you start blowing things up?’ Magnus questioned me. It wasn’t like I was attacking them—I was just ready to defend myself.

  “Halt! Are you the man claiming to be the Supreme Mage?” A short soldier, sword drawn and clad in metal armor, questioned me.

  ‘See, Magnus? Told you it was a terrible idea to go around wearing this cloak.’ I felt Magnus rolling his eyes inside my mind.

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  “And if I am? What are you going to do about it?” I asked provocatively. I really wanted to see what these soldiers were capable of. I stepped down from the cart, making sure I had a few bombs, and walked about five meters to the side. I didn’t want to hurt the horse.

  “In that case, you are under arrest for identity theft, high treason, and conspiracy against this kingdom.” I raised an eyebrow. Well, we fell into a trap. What happens next? They torture me to discover how to make gunpowder? The soldier was pointing at me.

  ‘Do you think this thing is capable of killing these men in metal armor?’ He was unaware of gunpowder’s lethality.

  “And who exactly is going to arrest me? You? A tiny guy like you…” I saw a vein on the man’s forehead twitch. Fortunately, I had already used the flint to light the bomb. I threw it and took a small step back.

  The small spherical object flew toward the soldier. Before it could hit his armor, it exploded midair. A sharp crack and a short shockwave swept through the air, ruffling my hair. A cloud of smoke mixed with a yellowish flash filled the area, leaving behind a sulfurous smell.

  The horse panicked and started moving. Seeing this and taking advantage of the soldiers’ confusion and the smoke, I ran toward it. I stepped over what seemed to be a fallen body but ignored it. There was no time to think about the consequences of my actions. I quickly climbed onto the back of the moving cart and grabbed the reins. By the time the smoke cleared, I had already gained some distance.

  “Behold the Supreme Mage! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAH!” I theatrically declared, standing up and looking at the men. Provoking the soldiers seemed like a fun idea. Magnus shot me a judgmental look inside my mind.

  ‘Why are you laughing like that?’ he asked impatiently. ‘By the way, are you sure you want to sell this thing? It seems pretty powerful.’ His tone shifted from impatience to surprise and curiosity.

  “To make things more entertaining.” I saw the soldiers pointing at me and splitting up. Some of them were tending to the man I assumed was dead.

  “Capture that man! Another charge: murder.” Well, in my defense, you guys started it. I thought but didn’t say anything, just kept laughing.

  ‘Magnus, I’ve decided. We’re going to stage a coup.’ I felt Magnus’s jaw drop. My proposal sounded insane. But think about it—we have gunpowder. Making muskets is easy. We just need an army.

  ‘Where did this ridiculous idea come from? Have you lost your mind? Do you want to die? Need I remind you that we share the same body? I don’t want to march to my own death.’ I started laughing at Magnus’s exasperation.

  “Calm down, great mage. There are many things I don’t like about this kingdom. Slavery is bad for business. Besides, these nobles set me up. They probably want to steal my knowledge. Leaving the kingdom without being killed or imprisoned is impossible. What’s left? That’s right: a coup d’état…” Magnus still had his nonexistent jaw hanging open. I wasn’t crazy—I just didn’t like people getting in my way and meddling in my business.

  I looked back and saw four men chasing us. They were running on foot and seemed close to exhaustion. I would take a few laps around the city before returning to Thrain’s forge. If necessary, I would use all my gunpowder to clear a path to my goals.