The Blank Bracelet
A Grade 7 Strength bracelet. It wasn't new. Even so, the price tag read 170,000 marcas. The kind of number that made my stomach tighten. It was the sort of money I'd only scrape together after bringing down a Grade 6 Roller. But did owning a Grade 7 Strength bracelet mean I could suddenly hunt Grade 6 magic beasts? Of course not. That was impossible.
Spells like Strength, Haste, or Berserker were exactly what the term suggested—support magic. It only made sense. No matter how you looked at their effects, they could never be anything more than that. Receiving those buffs didn't turn an ordinary mercenary into a knight overnight. If it did, every magic beast on the continent would've been wiped out years ago.
"What do you think? The price is rather steep… Will you be purchasing this artifact?"
The artifact shop owner spoke with outward politeness, but the subtle push in his tone was obvious. A cheap ploy. He saw me hesitating and was trying to provoke me into buying it. That faint undercurrent of Can someone like you even afford this? was unmistakable.
I had been wavering, but this was perfect. He'd handed me the perfect excuse.
"You're right. It really is too expensive. I'll look again another time."
With that, I turned and walked straight out of the artifact shop. It was almost funny. Luise wasn't short on artifact shops. Every store in this city operated the same way, especially the ones dealing in magic. After spending all day catering to mages whose egos scraped the sky, the shopkeepers started acting like they were important too. Stiff, arrogant, insufferable.
Anyway, an artifact with just one spell on it wasn't hard to find. If they couldn't make a sale, it was their loss. Or maybe not exactly a loss, but close enough. Still, walking away stung. Spending 170,000 marcas on a single Grade 7 Strength spell was painful. If only I had a little more mana, I wouldn't have to throw money at problems like this.
"Shall we head back for the day?"
Ar gave a small nod. We returned to the inn immediately. There was no rush on my end. Between meditation training and our extended stay in Luise, I could take my time hunting for the right artifact.
The moment we stepped inside the room, Ar curled up on the bed again, face down, body tucked tight. It was strange. Seeing her like that always made me want to call her over. But I didn't this time. Calling her every single time felt wrong. Besides, I'd started hoping for something else. For her to approach me first, sliding over on her own and pressing close without being asked.
That was probably still too much to wish for. Greedy, even. So I picked up a book on meditation magic instead. For now, this was what I needed to focus on.
We spent the next few days wandering Luise together. The city was full of wonders. There were so many things I'd never been able to try before because I simply didn't have the money. Today, for the first time, I tried seafood. I'd only ever heard stories about the ocean and the fish that lived there. Even pickled fish was so expensive I'd never considered it. The thought of eating fresh, living sea fish had been completely out of reach.
"Hmm. I can't really tell the difference from freshwater fish."
Ar nodded as if she shared the exact same thought. The chef probably would've clutched his chest if he'd heard me. Still, she ate with obvious enjoyment. Her actions and her expressions were completely at odds. Then again, it did taste good. My palate was probably too crude to catch those profound differences.
After such a good meal, we naturally moved on to dessert. Whenever we headed toward a dessert shop, Ar's pace seemed to increase by about 1.247 times. Did she like it that much? Any longer and I expected her to start humming under her breath.
Dessert was sweet. And expensive. These days Ar had even learned to drink the black tea that came with it. At first she'd made a face that clearly said, Why on earth would anyone drink something this hot and bitter? But by the second visit she was pairing it with cake and seemed to approve. After that, she started asking me to buy her a serving of her own.
Once we'd finished our desserts, we browsed another artifact shop. Finding something with Grade 7 Strength wasn't difficult, but there was one major limitation. Ar couldn't use necklaces, earrings, or rings. The only thing that worked for her was a bracelet. Necklaces got in the way when she moved violently, rings were impossible because her hands transformed, and earrings…
"Ar."
She looked up at me, fork paused halfway to her mouth with a piece of cake still on it. Her expression was bright. If she'd just smile, she'd be even prettier.
"Can you wear earrings? Do you even have ears for them?"
Beastpeople who resembled humans more closely usually had human ears in addition to the animal ones on their heads. That meant Ar had both fox ears and human ones, which made her hearing far more sensitive than a normal person's. She'd once told me she could perceive sounds in three dimensions and even pinpoint exact locations just from noise.
When I asked, Ar gave a tiny nod.
"Can I see them? I've never actually seen them before."
She flinched. Her brows drew together. Her face flushed red.
What? Had I said something wrong?
"Uh… Is it bad manners to show your ears to other people?"
She gave another small nod, still looking slightly upset. I hadn't known. I'd almost made a serious mistake.
"Then earrings are completely out of the question."
Her face grew even redder. Why was she reacting like that? Was there some deeper meaning behind earrings too? I decided to let it drop. Maybe I could ask someone who knew more about beastperson customs later.
We finished our dessert and continued browsing artifact shops. The next place we tried had decent customer service. The clerk still carried that typical arrogance, but it wasn't enough to ruin the mood. And they did have a Grade 7 Strength bracelet in stock.
"Do you have any unusual artifacts? Something trending, or maybe an item you only carry here?"
The clerk thought for a moment, then went into the back and returned with something.
"A belt?"
"Yes. This one can cast Grade 7 Invisibility."
"Oh…"
It was worth bragging about. Grade 7 Invisibility. The spell usually failed to live up to its name, especially below Grade 5. At those levels it was more like camouflage than true transparency. It only worked against busy backgrounds or at a distance. Up close, it was obvious something was there. Anyone could tell at a glance.
But Grade 7 was different. When stationary, it blended so perfectly with the background that you couldn't notice it at all. Only movement might give it away.
"It must be expensive. Grade 7 Invisibility and all."
"Indeed. This piece is looking for a good owner at 430,000 marcas. Are you interested?"
Wow. They were really inflating the price because it was rare. Still, for Invisibility, it was justified. It might not help much against magic beasts, but not every problem in life involved them.
"Unfortunately it won't be very useful for hunting magic beasts. Sorry to trouble you, but could I see some other items?"
Surprisingly, the clerk brought out several more pieces. Most salespeople would have gotten annoyed by now. Did I look like an easy mark? Or was this clerk short on sales this month? Unfortunately, none of them really caught my interest. The clerk's enthusiasm started to fade. This was probably the last item they'd show me.
"This is the most unique artifact I can show you."
The clerk's voice carried a hint of expectation now that it was the final piece. He opened the box. Inside lay a bracelet that appeared to be made of silver.
Variable Grade (Manifestation Coefficient up to 70)
Effect: Permanently stores one spell cast into it. The stored spell's power scales with the caster's ability. Duration: Permanent.
"It's called the Blank Bracelet. This bracelet can store magic."
I doubted my own ears. It could store magic?
"If you have a mage cast Grade 7 Strength on it, the bracelet becomes a Grade 7 Strength bracelet. If only a Grade 3 spell is used, then it becomes Grade 3. The better your connections with mages, the more valuable the artifact becomes."
The clerk kept talking, but I barely heard him. Something this incredible existed? This was practically cheating.
"What do you think? The price is a bit high, but there is no artifact quite as special as this one."
"Hmm. This seems like a good way to test how close I really am with any mages I know."
"Haha. You could also commission one from the Mage Guild. Having a single spell cast isn't that difficult. Of course, requesting a mage of Grade 7 or higher would require a suitable commission fee… But since you only need it done once, it's a worthwhile investment, don't you think?"
I kept my expression carefully neutral. As if any of that applied to me. I was a Grade 13 mage, after all. I feigned disinterest. I had to play it cool. This was something I absolutely needed to buy.
"What's the maximum grade it can hold? Are there any restrictions? How long does the stored magic last?"
"Based on the creator's notes and the materials used, the manifestation coefficient can reach up to 70. That should be enough to contain most mages' spells. And the duration is permanent."
A manifestation coefficient of 70. The coefficient was calculated by multiplying the mage's grade by the spell's grade. An Grade 8 mage casting a Grade 8 spell would get 64. My Grade 1 spells only reached 13. This meant the bracelet could hold up to Grade 5 spells from me.
"Coefficient of 70. It must be expensive."
"Yes. The current price is 650,000 marcas."
Damn. That was steep. But I wanted it badly. With this, I'd effectively be able to use two spells at once. If I gave it to Ar, I could pre-load whatever magic she might need at any time. This was a must-have item.
Of course, I didn't show any of that. I pretended to consider it seriously, then casually tested the waters.
"I'd be willing to pay around 550,000 marcas. 650,000 is simply too much."
The clerk's eyes lit up. The fact that I'd negotiated meant I was seriously considering it. He immediately entered haggling mode.
"You'll also need to commission the Mage Guild, so I can bring it down to 630,000 for you. How does that sound?"
He spoke as if he were doing me a huge favor. But the real negotiation was just beginning. I might not look it, but I was a mercenary. I'd spent my whole life fighting tooth and nail to save every single marca. Two hundred thousand off? That wasn't nearly enough.
And so the haggling began in earnest. By the time the other customers in the shop had started watching and Ar looked exhausted from standing beside me, I'd managed to buy the Blank Bracelet for 585,000 marcas.