CH262 Fury Mage Reform I

***

Earl Drake picked up the first stack of papers.

"Fury Army Standardised Mage Training?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Like most of the inspiration behind the other plans you'll find in this report, this plan came from what I noticed back during the Fort defence battle," Alex said. "The vast majority of our mages are… abysmal."

Earl Drake frowned, folding his arms.

"Are you sure you're not judging them from your glazed tower? Not everyone has the privilege of a blessed education from a Legendary mage's magic tower."

"You're not wrong. My education at the DragonHold Enclave does make me less tolerant of our mages' skill levels. But this has little to do with my negative assessment of them.

"If you'll look at the report, I've detailed different examples where our mages dropped the ball during my campaigns with them—both in the Wildkin-repelling expedition with Exercitus Alexii and during the defensive battle at the Fort.

"Let's take one example from each.

"Within Exercitus Alexii, I was, by rank, the weakest mage present. The Mage Regiment—like the rest of the Division—was made up of some of the Fury Army's best troops. That meant the regiment almost exclusively fielded Elite-ranked mages. In such a situation, the scene where I had to step up and fire targeted, guided spells should never have happened. Any mage within the regiment should have been able to do it. Yet, according to the Mage Unit Commander, only he—a Half-Saint—was capable of doing same. So I, an Intermediate-ranked mage, had to do what a regiment of a thousand Elite-rankers couldn't. That's unacceptable. And these are supposed to be our family's best?"

He paused, shaking his head before continuing.

"Once I realised our so-called 'best' were this low, I lowered my expectations for our rank-and-file mages. But even then, reality still managed to fall outside those expectations.

"I went through the trouble of modifying the Control Array of a Grand Formation so it could be used by any competent mage. And by competent, I mean any mage above Beginner rank should have been able to operate it alone.

"Imagine my surprise when I returned from leading an ambush-and-destroy operation, only to find out that a unit of five hundred mages—tasked with defending something as vital as the Northern Dankrot Fort—couldn't even activate a formation I'd spent so much time and sweat to modify for their use.

"If I had known none of them would be competent enough to use it, I wouldn't have wasted the time and energy on the modifications. I'd have improved the Grand Formation further for my own use instead."

Even Alex was stunned by how much he had said once his rant ended. Only then did he realise just how much grievance he carried about the state of the Family's mages.

"This sounds more like you're simply aggrieved that they couldn't use your precious formation." Earl Drake gave his son a glance, but didn't linger on the jab. Instead, he shifted to the real issue. "You are not wrong. The… weakness of our mage unit is quite obvious.

"However, as you know, a mage's ability is highly dependent on talent at its foundation. Our Fury family, as well as our vassals, aren't exactly known for magical talent. In fact, you should be very aware of this, since you're the greatest anomaly in our family on this matter. We simply do not have the pool of talented mages, nor can we attract them. The Fury family is simply not magically inclined."

"That's the wrong way to look at it, Father." Alex shook his head firmly. "It isn't that our family isn't magically inclined. It's that we've abandoned mages—and abandoned the path of magic altogether."

Earl Drake leaned back in his seat.

"Explain."

"Ours is a Guardian Family of the powerful Virellian Empire. You are a powerful noble, not to mention a Legend. The idea that our family cannot attract mage talent simply because the Fury family and its vassals are warriors—pardon my bluntness—is ludicrous."

Earl Drake's brows furrowed slightly.

Alex pressed on, "The most important thing that attracts talent is the promise of growth. Our family could be the most talentless bunch in all the known worlds and planes. But if we can prove that we can nurture a person's talent—if we can offer them real hope of reaching higher ranks and realms—then they will flock to us in droves. From all over the Empire, even from outer worlds, as long as they hear and can make the journey.

"The reason the Fury family is left with mages who are essentially trash-tier talents isn't because they don't exist—it's because we've provided no measures to promote their growth. Why would a truly talented person waste their time and potential swearing fealty to a family that can't offer them advancement, when there are so many other better options available? It simply isn't rational. And as a mage myself, I can say with certainty that this is the biggest driving factor for our situation.

"Actually, you don't even need to take my word for it. Just look at our warriors. I've been told the Fury Army's training facilities, regimens, and programs are among the best in the Empire—surpassing even the standards expected of a typical Marquisate. With conditions like that, it's no wonder the Fury Army attracts warriors from across the Empire. I've also heard we have elite troops serving us who come from beyond even Imperial borders."

Earl Drake tapped his fingers against the armrest, as if weighing his son's words. He glanced at the thick stack of papers, rifled through them with one hand, then shook his head with an expression that clearly said he wasn't about to read all of it.

"Let's say you're right," he said at last. "What do you propose we do?"

"We slowly improve the state of our mage training," Alex replied. He flipped open to a particular page, pointing at the section he wanted highlighted. "I'm not suggesting we try to rival the warrior facilities within a few short years. That's unrealistic, especially since magical facilities are far more expensive than warrior ones.

"In this document, I've laid out a twenty-year plan—something that would bring our mage facilities up to what I'd consider a standard level. Of course, that's from the viewpoint of my 'glazed tower,' as you so put it, Father."

He slipped in the joke, but it went straight over Drake's head. The Earl was too focused on the procurement plan before him.

And who could blame him? Alex's plan was anything but cheap. Even spread across two decades, the costs were enough to strain the Fury Army's budget for years to come.

Alex, having written the proposal, could already see the calculations running through his father's mind. But this wasn't his first sales pitch. He pressed on quickly before Drake could get too entrenched in the economic burden.

"Facilities are important, yes—but they're not the most critical factor. The real key is the people who will use them. Their ability to make use of those facilities—and make the most of them—is what matters most.

"Which means, going forward, we can't afford to accept just any average rabble into our Mage Corps. If we're spending this much coin, we need a minimum talent threshold for our recruits."

Drake opened his mouth to object, but Alex hurried on, cutting him off.

"I know what you're going to say: we already struggle to recruit enough mages, and raising the entry bar will make things even harder. You're right—at least in the short run.

"But I wouldn't bring this up if I didn't already have a plan." Alex grinned.

"You remember the school I told you about? The one I intended to establish?"

"The one where you planned to send Wilbert and the other children from Fury lands?" Drake raised an eyebrow.

***

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