Nah. If the magic shop owners were more powerful than BM it would be safe to assume that even MORE powerful mages would be working for the crown/police forces, as that the crown would hire the most powerful mages they could... and given that BM has yet to run across anyone that matches his magical powers in all of his mayhem (like slaughtering everyone in the retirement home, or driving children to suicide, etc.), it seems safe to assume that BM was actually quite a bit more powerful than the magic shop owner. Not to mention, I think there would be a few shop owners in at least ONE of the many dwarven cities BM destroyed easily.

Well, if I'm right in assuming that BM is a power nexus, then that would certainly help explain why he's so very incredibly insane. You don't hear about many other black mages raining down electric death on random old men, you know.

And, you never know... Garland's might be important... The imps may become the central point in turning him fully eviiiil and vengeful! Or something... ^_^()