The maid did return in only a few minutes, carrying a wooden box in her hands as if it were a poisonous snake she was eager to get rid of.
She set the box on the table and retreated away as quickly as possible, which made even the General suspicious about what was in the box.
Dominic activated [Mage Armour] and delicately flipped the lid on the box open.
The interior held six round balls, all perfectly mundane as far as Magitech items went. But Dominic didn’t sense any traps, and nothing jumped out at him.
General Merlot chuckled. "Oh, I get it now. They sent us an actual recruit box. This box is their final exam, in a way. You see, if they don’t have enough affinity for magic and the spell gems, they will take backlash.
You just have to twist open the orbs and the gems are inside."
Then the General placed two more items on the table. A Magitech Orb of [Create Munitions], which would create lead balls or pistol cartridges when imbued with mana. And a Spell Gem of [Chain Lightning].
Dominic smiled and accepted the items. Once they were safely in his storage, Dominic looked at the six orbs, wondering what military mages got that wasn’t from the Academy training.
The first twisted open to reveal an [Area Barrier] spell. That would definitely be something that Dominic could use in the future. Even if he could only protect his own forge, it would be worth the effort.
The next was [Fireball], the tried and true classic of military magic.
Then [Group Stamina Refresh], [Create Water], [Campfire] and [Repair Item] finished out the boxes.
"Impressive, you didn’t take any backlash at all. You must have exceptional magical talent, Royal Sorcerer Dominic. I know they’re not the most glorious of spells, but they are precisely what a military mage needs." General Merlot insisted.
Dominic stared at the six gems before placing them in his storage cube.
"If you have to give spell gems for these practical spells to Military Mages after they graduate the Academy, what do they even learn there?" Dominic asked.
The General burst into laughter, and the maids did their best to hide their amusement.
"Nothing useful. Mostly, the mage academies teach Magical item creation and Arcane Magic. You know, like Mana Golems, levitation, teleportation, flying, grand arcane circles of doom. That sort of thing."
Dominic chuckled. "And nowhere in that do they learn to make a campfire?"
The General got a weary look on his face. "Have you noticed how few of them are with the army? There is a reason for that. We don’t actually want them, they’re useless. They can light candles all through a ballroom with a flick of their fingers, but creating a durable magical fire that doesn’t use wood is beneath them.
After all, they can just order a commoner to get firewood. Mages are all Noble by default once they get their title, after all. Much like yourself, Lord Sorcerer. But without the practical common sense you managed to retain as a Weaponsmith."
Dominic chuckled. "I wonder if I can get one of them to teach me the Grand Arcane Circle of Doom? Maybe I can summon an army of Demons to assist us in battle."
General Merlot laughed as he speared a potato on his plate. "Wouldn’t that put a burr up their britches? The Mages hate the Warlocks with a passion because they cheat and borrow power from others.
But between you and me, even the Technomages and Arcanists look down on most of the Mages. Everything that they can do, a Magitech device can do better, with less effort. The mages just don’t need all the fancy tools to do the task."
They finished their meal in peace, and then returned to the main room, where the staff was about to bring out dessert.
Their seats were still empty. Keeping to everyone’s formal seat assignment was a serious thing, Dominic realized.
But it also served to highlight the number of people who had left for one reason or another before the luncheon was over.
It was only two dozen or so in total, out of hundreds. But the empty seats were glaringly obvious.
When the dessert came out, so did the Prince, along with a group of clerks with notepads.
General Merlot chuckled grimly. "Oh, I get it now. The reason this was a mandatory event. So that they could verify everyone’s physical state on the day of the draft. I would wager that the majority of the men in this room will be under my command soon enough, or one of the other Generals in the room."
The clerks didn’t say anything as they passed by, though they did give Dominic a strange look. But the Prince didn’t wait for them to finish before he went back to the stage, and made another announcement.
"Those chosen to join the Natural Sons’ Regiment will be notified by official mail within the week. Please do not stray far from home, as the Royal Mail service will probably be seeking you, or your parents.
Those of you who are craftsmen, there is no need to fear for your shops. Even if you are drafted, the most probable outcome is that your work will simply change customers.
Now, I have an update on the military situation that you should all be aware of, as citizens of Cygnia. The Dagos Army has approached the border, three hundred thousand men strong, and they have a regiment of airship paratroopers with them.
The draft will be expedited, as will the equipping and training.
Those of you with family peerages near the border, please send messages home, as the Royal Mail may be targeted to keep the barons unaware of enemy troop movements.
For those who are not called upon to serve, you may still volunteer, and gain an additional bonus for your courage and patriotism." The Prince announced.
A few of the gathered young men chuckled, and the Prince smiled. He knew as well as they did which ones would be ’volunteered’ by their families for the draft. So, they might as well sign up in advance and get the bonus.