The Magic Ability Imprint Scroll
◈ Increases the effect of all magic by 20%.
◈ The imprint scroll is inscribed upon the status window. Imprint scrolls with overlapping effects cannot be used.
Would've been better if it were a III. The Roman numeral I trailing the item's name was a real disappointment, but the mere fact that it raised the power of every spell was already extraordinary. If something better turned up later, he could always overwrite it, so there was no reason to hesitate. He used the imprint scroll the moment he claimed it as his reward. Scrolls like this were all but impossible to obtain by any means he knew, and the sensible thing was to seize them whenever the chance appeared.
Once it was used, he turned his senses inward, searching his own body for some felt change, and found nothing he could call different. So I won't know whether it actually amplifies power until I use it. That was a shame, but the status window had never once listed an effect that failed to apply, and he wasn't worried.
Under every eye in the hall, Yujun stepped down from the dais. A few players were curious about what he had received, but far more of them were trying to take the measure of his strength. Not one of them, of course, could see his true power. Those two Demon God Worshippers are staring holes straight through me.
He had already marked the pair—Demon God Worshippers, and beastkin besides. If this weren't the place it is, I'd have killed them already... What a waste. He leveled a brief, hard glare at them, and Armene and Sultan, who had been studying him so closely, startled.
"Wh-what was that?"
"Did we do something wrong?"
"Must've heard what we were saying."
"From that far away? Do you have any idea how many players are talking in here?"
"He's a dragon. Sorting one voice out of the noise would be nothing to him."
"Maybe our eyes just happened to meet..."
"You really believe that? There was killing intent in that look. I'm sure of it."
"But why? We didn't even say anything bad..."
"It's a warning not to expose what he is. That settles it. That elf is a dragon."
"You're right. I was only half convinced, but after that murderous glare just now, I think you're onto something, Sultan."
While the two Demon God Worshippers nursed their spectacular misunderstanding, Yujun made his way back to his companions.
"Eat a lot?"
"Yeah. I'm full. But why'd you fight that duel?"
"I was bored."
"Liar."
"...Isn't it a bit much to doubt me every single time?"
"It's obvious. I haven't spent so little time with you that I can't tell."
"Is that so...?"
It hadn't even been that long, had it? Set against the years Manuela had lived, it was less than a speck of dust. Naturally, he had no intention of saying so out loud.
"You were about to—"
Manuela read him with uncanny precision, and twin fires lit in her eyes.
"That's creepy. Call yourself a witch and suddenly you're reading minds... You don't tell fortunes too, do you?"
"No. I can just roughly guess what you're thinking now. That's all."
"..."
"Still, you used to blurt things out without a second thought. At least you've learned to hold your tongue."
"Since when did you turn into such a critic?"
"A critic? Compared to the things you say to me, Yujun..."
She had a point. Put like that, he had nothing to say.
"So why did you really duel?"
"For the reward. Obviously."
"There was something up there you actually wanted? That's unexpected."
"There was exactly one. I got lucky."
"Then why an elf?"
"Because it's my dream... is what I'd say if it were. I just couldn't think of a suitable race."
"I think I understand your standards of beauty pretty well now."
Manuela peered closely into his face as she said it, and being stared at so openly left him oddly self-conscious.
"Your original face was better..."
She mumbled it, working her lips. His keen hearing caught the sound, but she had deliberately slurred the words, and he couldn't make them out.
"Hm?"
"Nothing."
"How dull."
"So what now?"
"Hmm..."
At her question he considered for a moment, then answered.
"Forget the events. We'll wander for a while and look for a way to get close to the castle lord."
"...Aren't you being a little too reckless about finding him? He doesn't seem like the type who'll meet us easily."
"Then should we infiltrate? I'm confident I can."
"We'd get caught. The security here is extremely tight."
"I know. That's why I'd rather go alone... but if the Demon God Worshippers already know who we are, the two of you could be in danger the moment I'm gone."
"...I don't want to be a burden."
"I know. Together, maybe we'd be fine. The second I leave, though, they'll come after you. I'm sure of it."
"Dad! Then how about leaving them in the garden?"
"...The Golden Flower Garden?"
"The Demon God Worshippers can't go there, right?"
"That's true, but..."
The problem was that undiscovered creatures might still be living in the garden. Yujun turned it over, then nodded. It wasn't a bad idea. The place was vast, yet in all the time he had spent mining gold there he had never stumbled across anything truly dangerous. Barring absurdly rotten luck, the odds of Manuela and Yenil running into real trouble were low—and it was far better than remaining somewhere the Worshippers lay in wait.
"Harp. Good thinking. Thanks."
"Right?"
The Golden Flower Garden was not perfectly secure, but it was relatively safe. In truth, nowhere else in the Tower of Infinity compared. As far as Yujun knew, it was the only place the Demon God Worshippers' reach did not extend—and if the garden was safe, the Golden Temple was safer still. Now that I think about it, I should have made use of the temple sooner.
In that case, it might be worth speaking with Asilien, who had said she meant to go into seclusion later. He was master of the Golden Temple, and the place was hardly too cramped to live in. Should I send a message first?
Shin Yujun: Asilien. I think I can offer you a safe place to stay. If you need help, just say the word. Of course, I'm not asking for anything in return. Absolutely not.
He had dropped a suitably measured hint. That much, and a merchant with a brilliant mind—no, a Great Merchant like Asilien—would understand perfectly well.
"Manuela. Yenil. Want to wait at the Golden Temple? It shouldn't take long."
"All right."
"I do not mind. Somewhere quiet would suit me even better."
Yenil looked far more eager to master the magic Yujun had taught her than to remain in the banquet hall.
"Good. We can't go right this second, though. We'll wait until no one's watching."
Several gazes were still turned their way. That was his own fault for jumping into the duel, but he didn't regret it. An imprint scroll was an imprint scroll, and a magic-related one at that. He heightened his senses, watched the room, and the instant those eyes left them, slipped off to a secluded corner and transferred to the Golden Temple.
A warp to the temple was not treated as spatial-movement magic, so the barrier laid over the banquet hall did nothing to stop it.
"Yujun, I'll decorate the temple nicely."
"Decorate it?"
"We'll probably be coming here often from now on. Wouldn't that be better? It's far too gloomy as it is."
Manuela said it with a bright, innocent smile.
"Not a bad idea. Won't it be a hassle?"
"I'm doing it because I want to. And you know perfectly well how many dungeons I own."
"Ah, right. You're the expert at this."
"Mhm. So leave it to me."
"Thanks. Need any materials?"
"I'm fine. I already gathered plenty, just in case."
"Wow. Thorough."
"I've been wanting to decorate this place for a while. The structure is already beautiful. I'm certain that with just a little work, it'll be stunning."
"I'm counting on you."
If the Golden Temple came to look a little more distinguished, Yujun could only call that an improvement.
"I'll transfer a bit of the temple's authority to you."
"Huh? That's possible?"
"Apparently so."
He brought up the Golden Temple's hologram and changed the settings. Looking at this alone, it really does feel like playing a game. If a virtual-reality game set in the Tower of Infinity ever came out, he would have played it with genuine delight. Not that he wasn't enjoying himself now. Honestly, now that he had grown this strong, everything was fun. Lately he had hardly ever been in real danger of dying. A game was most entertaining when it kept you on the edge, but this was reality, and being able to handle everything alone without ever being in danger was the best situation he could ask for.
"I'll be back soon."
"Okay. Don't get hurt."
"Got it. Yenil, master all of it before I get back."
At that bolt from the blue, Yenil's eyes went wide.
"Wh-what? And when, precisely, do you mean to return?"
"A few hours should do it."
"...You expect me to master every spell you taught me in that time? That is impossible."
"I was joking."
"I-is that so. The jokes of youngsters these days are utterly impossible to adjust to."
"Right?"
Manuela agreed with her vehemently.
"Hey. You two have gotten pretty close."
"Mages understand each other. That's just how it is."
"I'm a mage too, you know."
"You don't have a mage's sensibility."
"I'll give you that."
He had obtained New-Generation Magic of GX+ rank, but his heart still belonged more to Swordsmanship. Swordsmanship was what had carried him this far, and it was Swordsmanship that cut the finer figure. Above all, the options on the sword he wore were simply too good for him to rate magic above the blade.
"Have fun, you two."
With only those words, he returned to the banquet hall with Harp. Emerging from behind the great banner painted with the castle lord's likeness, he slipped quickly in among the players.
By the time he got back, they were running something like a game of hide-and-seek. An extremely powerful monster had been released and named the seeker, and it was chasing the players down. To be caught by it was as good as death, and dozens of layers of powerful shields and barriers wrapped the creature. Wow. They're investing that much in a single monster? It had clearly been arranged so the players couldn't kill it, and it certainly looked sturdy. Perhaps because of that, most of those in the event were only running, with no thought of bringing the thing down.
The banquet hall really is enormous. Even with a massive game of tag underway, it didn't feel cramped. Spectator seating had appeared in the hall at some point as well. In that short a time... Is that magic too? In theory, it was certainly possible. The players found the game of tag even more entertaining than the first event. There was something ridiculous in the sight of people fleeing a monster for their lives, and that wasn't all. The creature's strength was so immense that every time it landed, the players were launched into the air. It was a wonder the hall was still standing.
Yujun looked around with quiet satisfaction. There were no more rewards worth taking, so he meant to ignore the event and face the castle lord. He erased his presence as thoroughly as he could, then slipped on his invisibility ring as well.