Commoner Magic Utilities

Despite the Nobility's monopoly on magic tools that actively rely on the use of mana, there are a variety of lesser magic tools that are used frequently by the more affluent commoners of Ehrenfest. Since commoners are incapable of channeling mana into magic tools, those made for them require the ability to hold a mana charge that needs to be replenished regularly by a mana wielder. Furthermore, the lack of mana of commoners also means that they can only register with a magic tool by stamping them with their blood. Notable examples for this practice are magic contract, guild cards, and citizenship medallions.

The manufacture, maintenance, and charging of magic tools for commoners is an important source of income for layscholars.

# Contract Magic

Contract magic is most often used to prevent nobility from taking too much advantage of commoners. The contract itself is written on special parchment with special ink that appears blue when writing with it, but names written with it turn black when the name is stamped with the blood of the signatory. Once all members' names have been signed and stamped the contract will burn up and take effect..

When a contract between a noble and a commoner is signed, only the commoner have to stamp their signature with blood. Nobles can use a pen-shaped magic tool that will infuse the signature with their mana while they write it.

The range this protective magic has depends on the contract that was signed. Most common magic contracts only take effect within the city they were signed in, but more costly contracts that cover an entire duchy or even the full country can also be created, though the higher the range, the more costly a contract becomes.

Should one party fail to uphold their end of the contract, they will face magical repercussions. In the worst case, this can even mean death. The consequences for breaches of magical contracts are not limited to just the signers, but can also affect people who were not involved and didn't even know of the contract's existence. For this reason, contract magic is strictly regulated, and every magic contract requires the permission of the archduke.

To further enhance the efficiency of a magic contract, a noble can also attach a magic tool to someone they have a magical contract with, which will activate on a breach.
One known case of such an occurrence was when a commoner was contracted to transport kidnapped grey priests to a nearby farming village and not to say anything about his contractor. When he was about to confess who had employed him, a magic ring on a chain around his neck activated, and the man was burned to a pile of ash in moments, ensuring that he would neither be able to say anything and not leaving behind any potential evidence on his body.

Such contracts can either be terminated by all signed parties' consent, or can be nullified at the discretion of the archduke as part of their jurisdiction.

Copies of the city-wide magic contracts signed by merchants are stored at the Merchant's Guild. These copies are still magically connected with the magic of the contracts and will change on their own, should the contract be altered, like name changes by the signers or the death of one party.

Merchants are obligated to turn in such copies at the Merchant's Guild. While such copies can and sometimes are made for contracts between nobles, they are not obligated to do so. If they are made, they are kept in a storeroom of the archduke's castle.

# Citizenship Medal

Upon reaching the age of seven, the children of citizens take part in a seasonal baptism ceremony that officially designates their status as citizens upon completion. As they enter the temple, they are asked their names and have their fingers pricked to stamp their blood onto metal medals, at which point the child is officially recognized as a citizen.

People who were not born in a given city can also gain citizenship, but this requires them to pay a fee. If the person in question has close relatives that are already citizens of the city, this fee is reduced.
The fee also depends on the city they wish to live in, with bigger cities usually requiring a bigger amount of money, with the capital city of the respective duchy naturally being the most expansive.

Since most commoners are illiterate, their citizenship medals also serve as headstones, by being affixed to a post that marks the grave. Most families denote their graves by the style of the post or where the medal is affixed on the post.

Citizenship medals can also be used to target individuals with magic, which is one of the reasons why they are stored in well protected areas and only brought out for very specific purposes and even then only under strict guard. One such incident where the medals were used to target their owners was the execution of Hasse's Mayor and his co-conspirators for treason.

# Magical Locks and Doors

As the main coordinator between nobles and commoners, the Merchant's Guild in the City of Ehrenfest has been outfitted with a magical lock on the outer door and a magical door between the second and third floors that completely disappears, if touched by an authorized guild card. Both were quite easy to open for nobles with their schtappe, since they were only meant to impede commoners and thus didn't contain any sophisticated protection against magical tampering.

They require regular recharging with mana by a layscholar.

# Rott Bell

The Rott Bell serves as a means for city guards to call for the aid of the Knight's Order to the gates without relying on a wand to do so. Once the bell is hammered, a red beam shoots into the sky, and the Knight's Guard makes their way to the gate in question to help resolve the situation.
With these items, the guards are able to send out either a thin or a thick red beam, with the former requesting a noble for minor cases and the latter indicated immediate danger. It isn't clear whether the different signals are made from different magic tools or with a different setting on the same tool.

# References

1. ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 3 Volume 2. Justus's Grand Lower City Infiltration
2. ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 1 Volume 2. Chapter 4: Contract Magic
3. ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 4 Volume 9. Chapter 7: Rescue
4. ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 2 Volume 4. Freida - A Visit to the Noble's Quarter
5. ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Fanbook 2. Q&A with Miya Kazuki
6. ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 3 Volume 3. Chapter 14: Hasse's Punishment
7. ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 3 Volume 2. Justus's Grand Lower City Infiltration
8. ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 2 Volume 4. Chapter 8: Both Sides of the Story