Chapter 10: Learning Magic Part 2

An old man wearing a red vintage robe comes out, expressing his discontent. “Franz, my boy, what did I tell you about bothering me when I’m in the middle of my experiments?”

The old man’s long hair shades the deep wrinkles lining on his forehead and his gray beard definitely gives him an aura of an old man with decades of magic experience.

“Apologies, master, but this gentleman here specifically wants to meet you.”

He snorts at my direction. “This boy looks poor; are you sure he has enough money to go with the procedure?”

“I’m positive he does…” Franz arches himself and whispers something to the old man. They both look at Fia, then to me, then they return to whispering something by themselves. After they finish their short hushing, Franz walks up to me. “So that’s that. I’ll meet you two downstairs. My master, Zeppel, will take care of you.”

Franz bids us farewell for now, so I make sure to thank him before he leaves.

“Come, follow me,” the old man says as I turn around.

“Sure.”

Fia and I shadow the old man. He pushes his way inside a large double doors, passing a series of bookshelves, and another one before he stops. Looking around me, this room seems like his personal office. The old man plops on his chair, hunches forward, then rests his elbows on the wooden desk.

“Now then, may I know how you two have heard about spell installment?”

Fia steps up. “I overheard my former master negotiating with a client once. They were chatting about it, so I assumed it was one of the standards. Was I wrong to think like that?”

“No, young lady, you are not,” he replies. “Well then, allow me to explain. As you may have already guessed, spell installment directly engraves a spell on your magic lines. Once a spell is assigned, however, there’s no way for us to remove it.”

So I have to choose carefully. Still… “What are magic lines?”

“Boy, you shouldn’t have come here uninformed,” he warns, giving me an irritated glare.

“I understand. But as a client, I do have the right to know.”

The old man sighs before explaining, “Magic lines are what converts our inner life force into magical energy, my boy, allowing a person to perform magic.”

This is turning trickier by the second, but it makes sense. I, after all, replenished my lost mana points in the labyrinth at the cost of stamina points.

“So engraved a spell directly on a line and it’ll be similar to having a magic formation built inside of you, am I correct in my understanding?”

“Exactly.”

“But there’s gotta be a downside to this convenience, right?”

“Indeed there is.” His eyes move to Fia for a moment. “You have to be careful, boy. Half of your lines are already occupied with the slave contract, and a slight miscalculation on your part could direct the energy flow to your left hand — to your slave.”

His words make me gulp. “What would happen then?”

The old man stands up and clasps his hands behind his back. “Depending on how much magic you transferred, it could toast her alive.”

“What!?” I rake a hand through my hair as I blow an exasperated sigh. My head’s throbbing, not with confusion, but something else. “I didn’t expect this outcome.”

“Hmm, such is the price of using magic conveniently. Actually, I don’t suggest you to pursue magic at all — that is, if you value the life of your slave. But it’s your choice.”

Fia places her hand on my shoulder. “Master, I’m a slave for a reason. You don’t need to concern yourself about my well being.”

Really, Fia? Your words are too warm for someone who’s supposed to hate my guts.

“No, Fia, if I’ll have to find a different way, I’ll find a different way.”

“Master…” She doesn’t say another word and behaves in place after murmuring my name with an obvious yearning. I turn back to the old man and offer my apology, but instead of him getting upset for his precious time wasted, I see him smile.

“Young man, always remember that there’s no shortcut to greatness. And even if there is, this road would prevent you to follow the right route.” His words of wisdom doesn’t sound so convincing when he’s checking out Fia’s butt, but oh well, I’m grateful for his advice nonetheless.

“What about Fia? Can she have magic engraved on her lines?”

“I’m afraid that’s impossible. She can use still use magic, but the slave contract occupies the entirety of her magic lines, so she can’t have an engravement.”

“Is there a way for me to break the contract then?” As I ask this question, Fia pulls my sleeve. I look back at her for an answer, yet she remains silent. But I know what she’s implying: she doesn’t want me to let her go. In these types of situations, I should pick the choice that’s more beneficial for myself, but I’m not so cruel to deny her that single request. So I retract my question.

“If you have any further questions about magic, don’t hesitate to come back.”

I catch his eyes on Fia again. This old man just wants us to return so he can harass my slave in his head. Nice facade you have there, but I’ll take the free magic lessons.

* * *

After the disappointment upstairs, we go back downstairs to pick up some magic formulas.

“Master, what kind of books would you like me to get?” asks an energetic Fia, hopping on one bookshelf to the other. Is learning magic one of her interest?

Her energy bounces to me as well, causing me to smile. “Let’s start with some healing spells for now.”

“Okay~” Wagging her tail, Fia grabs the necessary books.

As we check out at the counter, Franz is all too happy to snatch my money away. Still, who pays gold coins for books? Though I have quite the fortune, overpriced is still overpriced.

“I figure I’ll introduce myself now. I’m Dude, and this is Fia, and you’ll be seeing us a lot from now on.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dude, Fia.” He shakes the hand I offered. “My name is Franz Ruther. I’m delighted to see that you’ve chosen the path of magic formulas instead.”

I snort. “More like we’re pushed to this decision because we have no other choice.”

“So, are you two labyrinth explorers?”

“Aspiring to be, why?”

“Oh, nothing to concern yourself about. Also, if it isn’t too much, could I study Fia’s slave contract? And don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be today.”

Looks like the apprentice takes after the master. “What do you need to check?”

Franz shifts his spectacles. “I’ve been investigating the mystery behind slave glyphs. I can’t disclose much right now, but if you give me the chance, then I’ll make sure to fill you in with every single detail.”

“Interesting. I’ll let you know if I change my mind.”

“Thank you, have a pleasant day.”

That sums up my visit at the magic store for today. And though we return empty handed, I did learn a lot. That’s more than enough blessing for me. I’m not sure what I want to do with Fia now, but seeing her enthusiasm about learning the principles of magic, it might not be long till she manages to break the ice. It’s exciting to think about. I want to return, but I don’t see why I need to stress myself out because of it. Might as well enjoy life as I’m here already.

* * *

On our way to the obelisk, I decide to eat first. We haven’t had breakfast after all. We find a food stall nearby, so we eat some hot soup there. I also stash several barbecue sticks and water pouches inside my inventory for a later snack.

“That’s it. I’m good to go over here. How about you, Fia?”

Fia’s stuck looking at an accessory stall, her blue eyes are glued to a wooden hairpin.

It makes me want to buy it for her, but I don’t think I should spoil her too much.

“If you do good today, then I’ll buy that for you,” I say.

Her white-wolfish ears twitches upon hearing that. But again, she doesn’t say a word. It’s hard for me to discern what she’s thinking when she remains expressionless, and much more if she doesn’t talk. She’s such an enigmatic girl at times.

The merchant scratches his head after we left without buying anything.

There it is, as we exit the marketplace, the giant obsidian obelisk stands on attention, looking down on everyone else. I have not much time to admire it before, but the place outside is bustling — stores lined up next to each other, forming a large square, and the various explorers that geared themselves to challenge the dangers of this labyrinth.

I’m not sure why, but I have the feeling to look for the same spot where I met Rosalia. So I do.

Like a flower in a mud, she’s alone and dejected, gazing upward to the sky. It’s almost laughable — like we’ve changed positions since then.

On impulse, I sit on the bench beside her. “Hey, what’s up?”

Rosalia swivels her head towards my side. “Oh, it’s you, Dood.”

She seems too crestfallen to give me a witty remark. “What happened to you?”

“Nothing major. I’m just thinking of returning back to my village.”

“Going back, eh?” I don’t think I like the sound of that. At my silent wish to keep her close, her head falls on my shoulder. Is she that tired, or am I allowed to hope? My inner dilemmas are telling me to leave her alone. That’s for the best. I have more than enough problems on my plate. She’s just a liability. But ah, there’s something about this girl that I can’t seem to disregard. It’s the eyes — I blame her jewels.

“Sorry, I’ll sulk on this shoulder for a few minutes, can I do that?” Rosalia wraps her arms on my left arm and thrust her head up, causing her cheek to rub my shoulder.

There’s no way I can deny you when you’re that cute. “Take all the time you want.”

I hear her sigh. “You were right; maybe I’m not really suited for this type of dangerous job. That night hit me like a wrecking ball. We barely survived the encounter so I was happy when you showed up, then you disappeared without a word I thought I did something that might’ve upset you.”

“I’m a busy merchant.”

“You’re a bad liar.”

“I am. What happened to your group?”

“They dumped me.”

“Ah.” Now in this perfect chance, I can’t seem to say anything else. I remain tongue tied for a few seconds before an idea lights up in my head. “Rosalia, my offer still stands.”

“About me being your guide?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I don’t know... I can’t leave you alone, I guess?” Rosalia lifts her head up and looks at me with her mouth hanging open, like she doesn’t know how to respond. “How’s that for straight up honesty?”

“Not half bad.” Rosalia grins, and the negative atmosphere that loomed around her shatters in an instant. I can’t believe my words could have that much effect, but I sure am glad that she’s back to smiling now.

Then someone coughs behind us, so we both turn our heads to look. It’s Fia, keeping her indifferent face. “Master, I don’t think it’s wise to flirt like that in public.”

Before I could even respond to her comment, Rosalia asks, “Is she your slave?”

“More like a partner,” I explain. Yeah, smooth under pressure, that’s me. I nod to Fia and point my chin to the obelisk. Rising, I take Rosalia’s hand. “Let’s go, your first job as my guide awaits.”

Thus, the start of my investigation commences.