Same as last time, I wanted to include an "untranslated" version of the page here too:
Al, you're making it a bit difficult to help you. I can understand most of the objections, but why not take a mage from the company? Or is it similar to the teleport thing where you don't want to establish that precedent?
Are you trying to get your father to do it? Because otherwise there aren't many options left...
I mean, my guess is you're going to end up taking Kat. But she works at Altea so technically she's already been turned down as a possibility.
Technically Raven works in Anthea too. I guess asking him is better since he's not directly employed by his dad (he's partner, not employee) and acts as acquaintance who Al happens to know because they live in same house.
Though same can be said for Kat (except being employee). "Living under the same roof" is better explanation to his peers than "I asked my rich dad for personal mage slave"
Considering the implications, Al isn't looking good in this one.
He's willingly and needlessly endangering the lives of others, put under his command, because he isn't willing to accept help from someone freely offering it.
If it were just his own life at risk, that would be one thing; It's not. It's the lives of people whose wellbeing he is directly responsible for.
"Sorry, guys. We've got to march miles through enemy territory, at constant risk of encountering hostiles. My dad owns a private super-jet that could get us there basically instantly, with zero chance of danger, but... I mean, I don't want people thinking I'm special. I'm just another guy, you know.* No big."
*"This is a hill I'm willing to risk injury and death upon, and all of you are coming with me to prove this point."
He doesn't want the city guard to become indebted to his dad.
It's one thing if the guard actually contracted Anthea for a scroll, then it's all above the board and on the books. But if it becomes "I got this as a favor from my dad", then there's always the risk that it'll end with "I ask this as a favor for my dad". And even if it doesn't actually happen, it can happen in the press...
Ah yes, because a magical scroll-an item which can be created by any sufficiently skillful magic user-is somehow More associated with his father and his father's business than Raven, whose aid he expressly states he would be okay with taking.
Raven, the immensely recognizable and very famous Guardian, whom is his father's known business partner and personal confidant.
An incredibly powerful person in his own right, whom the guard would be equally (if not more) indebted to Instead of his father for the service provided.
Your logic does not hold. Al is doing this to keep his image separated from his father's, specifically, and not for any morally justifiable reasons. It has nothing to do with indebting the guard to his father, or any pretext akin to that.
Is he using an electric soldering iron? They have better technology than I thought.
Going by the colour, looks like a magic-powered one. I wonder what that lead is for. Though soldering irons aren't that amazing technology. Can't be since they're pretty basic for building more electronics.
I'm reminded of someone demonstrating building one out of a pencil, powered by car battery, though you probably woulnd't want to solder electronics with such a thing. Or with any of the regular "portable" battery-powered ones. There are gas-fired portable ones, too.
We've seen Al struggle with magic and Hechoton again waves his cache of Very Expensive scrolls around. These two not-so-very-good-at-magic people sure talk a good bit of Elvish. Kat should take note and mercilessly use her access to both to train up her own Elvish.
Based off the previous comic showing some manner of glyphs floating above whatever he's working on, I'd assume that the resemblance is coincidental.
I'd be inclined to think that whatever that device is, it's likely used to write magic onto mechanical devices. The rod itself is probably some manner of magic writing utensil, which Hechaton is using some energy source besides in-born magic to power. Thus the handle attaching it to the power source, and being shaped to comfortably fit in the hand.
This whole question has not part of the budget written all over it so I don't know why Al is complaining about something that wouldn't fit within the budget.
If it were something to cure the guy who's sick then I should think that would be part of the budget because he needs to be healthy to perform the task that the guard requires of him.
There is something weird about how using a scroll is unthinkable but asking an actual Guardian is okay in Al's mind.
Beginning to think Al might be a candidate for paladin, he's certainly got that stick-up-the-ass energy.
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