I suspect what theme this series is going for is the value of art. Magic in this setting and typical art both have a creator. As the bureau can use magic, much like anyone can make art. Think of AI-generated art. Creating a beautiful piece of art with soul is something not everyone can do. I suspect with magic we could be looking at how magic is used by mages like Nona & Miramira. But also how magic is used by the bureau.
The bureau uses magic as purely a tool. As they will use the magic after capturing these mages but don’t care about the foundation. Like those guards from 2 chapters ago, they were safe from that monster that was summoned. Very much it is clear that man only looked at Kurt’s art from a profit standpoint.
The foundation of magic can be compared with the soul of the art. The series really feels like it is setting up something superb. I am excited to read more. Though the question that could be asked is, is there more to Kurt refusing the job beyond the attitude of the man not respecting his answer of no?
