Elixir of the Ancients
I stepped out of the magic goods shop with a spring in my step. The 7th-grade elixir I’d just downed still burned pleasantly in my stomach, its power already threading through my veins.
I pulled out the Grade Orb again and poured a thread of mana into it. The orb glowed softly before displaying a crisp number.
Grade: 7
Estimated recovery speed has increased dramatically.
Current output: Approximately one spell per 300-count rhythm.
Not bad. At this rate, I could probably cast low-mana spells almost continuously. If I managed to get my hands on an 8th-grade elixir or higher, the difference would be even more ridiculous.
I slipped the orb back into my coat and headed straight for the next destination. Not just any bookstore—this time I needed one that specialized in ancient tomes.
The meditation technique I was after had long fallen out of fashion. These days everyone relied on elixirs and formulaic spell structures. To learn the old ways, I’d have to dig through dusty shelves.
It would’ve been easier to simply walk into the Magicians’ Guild library, but that place only allowed registered mages. And registering meant revealing my full grades. That was still too dangerous. I’d handle it later.
The antique magic bookstores in Luise were surprisingly busy. Magic evolved at a frightening pace here, and what was cutting-edge ten years ago was already considered obsolete. As a result, outdated grimoires flooded into these shops constantly.
I visited three different stores, but none of them had what I needed. The few books on meditation were either too vague or written in such abstract terms that even I couldn’t make sense of them. They felt unreliable.
I knew the demand was low, but I hadn’t expected it to be this bad.
Still, I kept searching. There had to be at least one decent place among the many antique shops in the city.
Eventually I found it.
The moment I stepped inside, the thick scent of old paper and aged leather hit me like a wave. This was exactly the kind of place I’d been looking for. The books here weren’t from ten or twenty years ago—they carried the weight of centuries.
An old man wearing a monocle glanced at me without a word of greeting. His expression was completely indifferent.
Good. No false friendliness. He passes.
Most owners of these shops were mages themselves. They had the pride to match. A friendly antique bookstore owner was usually either terrible at business, not a real mage, or trying to scam you. This old man’s curt attitude was exactly what I wanted to see.
“I’m looking for books on meditation,” I said.
The old man stared at me like I was some curious specimen. There was a hint of pity in his eyes, but I understood why. Most people who came asking for meditation techniques were those who couldn’t afford expensive elixirs and were desperately searching for loopholes.
He didn’t say anything. Instead, he flicked his finger and created a small orb of light. It was the free-grade spell Light Sphere—a simple construct that could be adjusted to emit as much or as little light as the caster wished.
The orb floated gracefully toward the back of the store like a tiny fairy. The old man must have been quite skilled to control it so effortlessly. Running an antique bookstore was probably just a hobby for him.
I followed the light.
The shelf it stopped at was packed with genuinely old grimoires. Many of them bore the names of fairly famous mages from past eras. My instincts had been right—this place was the real deal.
I returned to the counter.
“May I look through some of them?” I asked politely.
The old man gave a single indifferent nod, as if to say do whatever you want.
I went back and began examining the books. Even though he’d given permission, I didn’t want to linger too long. Ar was waiting alone at the inn, after all. I scanned them quickly.
Thanks to my spatial expansion bag and plenty of money, I could simply buy anything that looked promising.
After careful consideration, I selected three volumes and brought them to the counter.
“I’ll take these. How much?”
The old man glanced at my choices, then slid one book aside with a finger.
“Not that one. Put it back where you found it and bring me Theories on the Stages of Advanced Meditation for Inner Circle Activation. It should be on the lower shelf right beneath where that one was.”
His tone was still completely detached, as though he were commenting on the weather.
I didn’t argue. I returned the book to its place, located the one he’d recommended, and came back to the counter.
“Nine thousand marcas.”
“Can I pay with imperial bonds?”
“As you like.”
I handed over the bond. The old man accepted it without even checking the amount, dropped it into a drawer, and placed a small stack of platinum coins in front of me.
“If you get stuck anywhere, come back and ask.”
With that, he turned his gaze away, clearly dismissing me.
“I’ll do that,” I replied.
I was a little curious about him, but his attitude made it clear he wouldn’t give me any answers right now. I quietly gathered the books and left the store.
Wow. There’s definitely something about that old man.
My intuition had been spot on. He was no ordinary mage. The fact that he’d looked at my selections and immediately recommended a better one proved it. Either that, or he was an incredibly skilled con artist.
Nine thousand marcas for three old books was an absurd price, yet I didn’t feel like I’d been ripped off. If anything, I felt like I’d come out ahead.
If these books actually helped me make progress, it would be an incredible stroke of luck. And the old man had told me to come back if I got stuck. That kind of guidance was something money couldn’t buy. This might very well be a destined encounter.
I couldn’t wait to start reading.
When I returned to the inn, Ar was lying on the bed resting. She lifted her head and stared at me intently. Her ears were perked up in a way I’d never seen before.
“Nothing happened while I was gone, right?”
She gave a small nod.
She really is the quiet type. She could at least say something once in a while.
I changed into comfortable clothes and settled into the rocking chair. Staying at a high-class inn had its perks—the chair was surprisingly comfortable. It was practically perfect for reading. At this point, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it had an artifact enchantment that increased reading efficiency.
“If you get hungry, just tell me. I need to read these for a while.”
Ar nodded again, then curled up with her tail wrapped in her arms and lay facing the wall. Seeing her like that really drove home that she was a fox beastperson. A normal girl probably wouldn’t lie like that.
Time to read.
I started with the book the old man had recommended. The pages had yellowed with age, but the condition was still decent. Unlike modern printed books, this one was handwritten. The author’s personality practically bled through the sharp, angular script.
He must have been pretty irritable.
Then again, were there any mages who weren’t irritable?
The content was difficult. The author explained complex concepts using his own unique interpretations, which made it hard to follow at first. Still, the ideas were undeniably brilliant.
Inner circle? I had never even considered such a thing. And this was the first time I’d learned that meditation itself had distinct stages. Of course, this was just the author’s claim.
I was completely absorbed in the book when I suddenly sensed someone nearby. I looked up to find Ar standing right in front of me, staring silently.
“Hungry?”
She gave another small nod without speaking.
Has it already been that long? I’d lost all track of time.
Her bashful reaction was kind of cute. Was she embarrassed about being hungry? Maybe it was because she was a girl.
“Got it. I’ll order right away. Is the set course okay? We can have it again, right?”
Another nod.
Well, it was the set course from a top-tier inn. It would be harder not to like it. And the menu rotated through fairly standard dishes, so sticking to the set course wouldn’t be a problem.
I used the communication orb to order. The food arrived shortly after.
We sat across from each other at the table. As always, Ar ate with impressive focus and volume. But the silence between us was almost painfully awkward.
“Ar.”
She looked up while still chewing. Not a single drop of sauce stained the corner of her mouth. Impressive.
“How old are you?”
Come to think of it, I knew almost nothing about her. I’d originally planned to wait until she felt like telling me herself, but at this rate that might never happen.
Only after the words left my mouth did I realize how blunt the question sounded. She was a girl, even if she was a beastperson. Asking her age right out of nowhere felt a bit rude.
Ar stared at me for a long moment without answering. Maybe I should have started with something else. But it wasn’t like I could suddenly start talking about the weather.
Fortunately, she swallowed what was in her mouth and spoke in a small voice.
“...Twenty.”
I almost said, Older than I thought, but managed to swallow the words just in time. That would have been a disaster.
“Really? I’m twenty-three. Just so you know.”
She looked at me again and gave a tiny nod.
“Oh, right. Do you even know my name?”
She shook her head.
Now that I thought about it, I had never told her. I really was careless. I hadn’t even done the most basic thing.
But why hadn’t she asked? It had already been quite a while.
“I’m Teoren. But just call me Theo.”
She gave another small nod, then opened her mouth.
“Yes.”
“And you don’t have to speak so formally. I don’t see you as a slave, so talk to me however you’re comfortable.”
“...Yes.”
Hmm. This might take more time than I thought. Well, there was no need to rush. Better to take it slow than to push and create the opposite effect.