episode_0027

Fortunately, no particular trouble occurred on the way to the scroll shop. There were some guys who glared fiercely now and then, but when he showed that he was a mage, they automatically moved out of the way.

‘Good friends.’

Asel recalled them fleeing, sweating profusely, and chuckled, opening the door of the scroll shop. An old man sitting at the counter gave him a short bow.

“Welcome.”

The man wore the typical look of a merchant. Despite his age, his eyes gleamed with greed, his belly protruded roundly, his neck was creased, and he wore gaudy accessories. Everything about him asserted himself strongly. It didn’t seem like the scroll shop was necessarily managed by mages.

Indeed, while mages create scrolls, most of those who use them are people who cannot use magic themselves. To consider things from their perspective, it might have been a better choice to place merchants who were good with numbers rather than mages.

“Are you looking for something in particular?”

The man rubbed his hands together and asked. Asel scanned the shop and replied.

“I’m not looking for anything special. Rather, how are the magic types classified by floor?”

“Ah, the first floor is mainly for daily life magic. Automatic cleaning magic, garden management, alarm magic, etc., are the main ones. The second floor is arranged mainly with pure system magic. There are many things helpful for expeditions, like detection magic, boundary magic, and purification magic.”

“……”

“The third floor is mainly elemental system magic, and the fourth floor is mainly combat magic. Adventurers often buy them. Or nobles who want to imitate magic or those who want expensive self-defense magic also come frequently.”

“I see.”

Asel nodded, letting out a low sound.

He didn’t particularly need to look at daily life magic. He had already learned most things from Haeyli, so there was no need to look through scrolls. Thus, it seemed best to slowly browse from the second floor.

Asel thanked the shop owner and immediately went up to the second floor.

The inside of the scroll shop was packed with customers on every floor. This was unavoidable as scrolls themselves were popular items.

The spell formulas contained in scrolls could be used by anyone as long as they could inject mana, even if they weren’t mages. Although they had the disadvantage of being single-use, even considering that, they were well-selling items regardless of profession due to their low price and convenience.

Thanks to this, the income of the Rapid Magic Tower, which focused on the scroll business, was overwhelmingly higher than other magic towers. Since the price of custom-made scrolls easily exceeded several hundred gold coins, their status in a society where non-mages accounted for the majority was beyond imagination.

‘They say they’ve also jumped into the madogu business, focusing on applied magic. I’d like to see it someday.’

Asel thought so as he strolled through the interior of the scroll shop.

He went up to the second floor, then looked around the third and fourth floors, and came down to the second floor again.

The types of scrolls in the shop were very diverse. From magic created to assist in combat to magic designed to catch one off guard, to magic that required vast amounts of mana but had equally outstanding power. Scrolls capable of fulfilling all sorts of purposes were categorized by type.

Naturally, there were no spell formulas for unique magic. Since it was magic that could potentially backfire and consume the user, it seemed they did not handle it separately.

He shifted his gaze back to the scrolls.

He took out a parchment stuck high up. It was a scroll inscribed with a defensive spell formula that layered the skin with magic power like steel. Asel slowly examined the spell formula on the scroll, narrowing his eyes.

‘A defensive spell formula used without attribute transformation. There’s room for revision.’

Currently, the only defensive spell formula he knew was one that deployed a barrier around the body. While this was sufficient, it didn’t seem bad to know more ways to protect his body.

A barrier had a clear limit, no matter how much its output was increased, and while it layered electric or flame attribute magic power through attribute transformation, it was true that this alone was insufficient. It was unavoidable as it was the most basic defensive spell formula.

‘On the other hand, this magic can be activated constantly through the skin without necessarily creating a force field, and the magic consumed for maintenance is overwhelmingly less.’

A defensive spell formula is not magic used the moment an opponent attacks. It is magic that must be constantly maintained and restored each time it is depleted. In that regard, the low consumption of magic power was a considerable advantage.

Of course, its disadvantages were also clear. While a barrier could concentrate magic power at a single point to maximize physical force, this magic was distributed evenly across the entire body, making it impossible to block attacks comparable to high-level magic.

Ultimately, each had its pros and cons. There was no need to abandon one and choose the other. Asel mentally calculated the spell formula within the scroll and manifested it, returning the parchment to its place.

Fortunately, the magic worked normally. Since he hadn’t used the scroll, he didn’t have to worry about being accused of theft.

Just by looking at it, he could grasp the nature of the spell formula and ‘steal’ it. This was a feat impossible without overwhelming talent in magic. He grinned broadly and implanted the spell formulas of other seemingly good scrolls into his mind.

‘This will be helpful for spell formula verification. Shall I also look into a few elemental magic and movement magic spell formulas?’

How much time passed like that? The number of people gathered in the shop was somewhat refreshed. A woman who had just entered the shop and was looking around carefully approached Asel.

“Um… are you Sir Asel?”

“……?”

Asel slightly furrowed his brow at the sudden call and turned to the side.

‘A beastkin?’

She was a woman whose cat ears on her head were striking. The clothes she wore were those of Academy staff, and her long tail kept wagging restlessly, as if anxious. She seemed very timid. At the same time, it was a face he had never seen before. Asel put a few scrolls he was holding into his pocket and asked her.

“Yes, I am. What is the matter?”

“Ah…! I’m Plum. You are Sir Asel, Master Ena’s disciple, right?”

“Yes… is there something you need?”

Asel asked back, showing a slightly wary attitude.

The title of Great Mage’s disciple was good for attracting attention in various ways. While there were positive effects, negative effects could not be ignored either. He had experienced this enough in Wiheim. The number of people who harbored feelings like jealousy, envy, or inferiority and tried to tear Asel down was by no means small.

They silenced themselves after he crushed them directly, but he hadn’t done such things in Luminous yet. It wouldn’t be particularly strange for someone with hostility to seek him out at any time.

However, Plum seemed to have no such intention; she was flustered by Asel’s attitude and waved her hands, saying.

“Ah, no, you don’t need to be so wary. I’m here to deliver a message from the Headmaster…”

“The Headmaster’s message?”

Asel widened his eyes and asked back.

There was only one person in Luminous who could be called the Headmaster. The very person who founded the current Academy and a living history book herself, a long-lived species. A high elf, Priday Aylak. She had sent a message to Asel.

‘Suddenly?’

It was sudden for Asel. He had no particular contact with Priday, nor had he done anything significant, so a message was unexpected. The only possible topic seemed to be related to the Academy entrance exam, but even this was not something he could easily guess.

They probably hadn’t even finished compiling the final exam results yet, so it wouldn’t be about informing him he was the top or second student…

Ultimately, it was a matter he would only know by hearing it. Asel nodded with an uneasy expression.

“What is the message?”

“Ahem. I will deliver it as is.”

Plum cleared her throat once, then took a piece of paper from her pocket and began to read it aloud.

“I will omit all the flowery language. Congratulations on your admission, and let’s work well together in the future. But now for the main point.”

“……”

“When I reported that you had fainted to Wiheim, the response that came back was that Ena disappeared that day. No matter how I think about it, it seems she’s coming here. Please save me. I’ve just passed 700 years old, and I don’t want to die yet. So, if you hear this message, please come to the Academy Headmaster’s office as soon as possible. If we are together, even Ena wouldn’t dare act recklessly. I will give you as much compensation as you want, so immediately—”

Kwaaaaaang!!

“Kyaaaak!?”

It was the moment she was continuing her words. Suddenly, a white lightning bolt fell from the clear sky. The startled Plum dropped the paper.

“…Huh.”

Asel saw the familiar silhouette landing on the Academy rooftop beyond the window and let out a hollow laugh.

The Academy’s sky opened.