The Magic Book Rumi
The Magic Book Rumi
The old man surrounded by thugs in the middle of the street let out a hearty chuckle. Even with burly young men threatening him, he didn't look the least bit endangered.
"I came to meet someone, not to do business. I don't sell my wares to just anyone."
"What's that got to do with anything? If you're a merchant, you pay the protection tax. Or hand over that bundle of yours."
"Heh heh. Do you even know what's inside this?"
The thugs, growing more and more heated, pulled knives from their pockets. They were threatening the old man with what looked like basic kitchen cleavers.
I had to stop it before the stabbing started.
I owed that old man a debt.
I stuck my head out the window and yelled at the top of my lungs.
"Stop!"
"Huuuh?"
The thugs clutching their kitchen knives looked up at me standing at the window.
Of course, telling them to stop wasn't going to work on these types.
"Heheheh. Hey there, incubus pal. Don't go stickin' your nose in this. Just stay holed up in your room. Too scared to even come outside, and yet here you are yappin'."
"I'm coming out now."
"Huh?"
"I said, I'm coming."
I put my foot on the windowsill and prepared to jump. The thugs made dumbfounded expressions at the sight.
"Buddy, if you jump from there, you'll shatter your legs!"
"Isn't that lunatic insane?"
My inn room was on the 3rd floor.
Each floor had fairly high ceilings, so jumping from here meant at least a fracture.
But that only applied to regular folks who couldn't use magic. I was different.
Thud!
The moment I launched myself out the window—
"Liquid!"
In that instant, I shaped water droplets into a rope and threw it toward an exhaust vent on the building's outer wall.
As my body fell, the water rope wrapped itself around the vent.
Tadadak! Gripping the rope with my hands, I could safely descend the inn's wall.
Reverse rock climbing, I suppose.
Seeing me use magic so suddenly, the thugs screamed in terror.
"Th-that incubus bastard's using magic!"
"He's using running water like a rope!"
"What a bitch of a mage."
Thud!
Landing on the ground, I recalled the water rope and walked toward the thugs.
Even though a mage had appeared, they hadn't lost their nerve—or rather, they were too scared shitless to run.
"J-just try stabbing him, fuck! Even a mage'll die if you stab him, right?!"
"Who goes first?"
"I'll go! Hiyaaahp!"
One thug with narrow-slit eyes charged in, clutching his kitchen knife.
The other two followed right behind him, rushing at me.
I swung the rope toward the thug in front.
"D-dodge it! Magic incoming!"
The thug barely ducked under the whip-like incoming rope.
But dodging once didn't mean he was completely safe.
As if it were a living creature, the water rope writhed in the air and freely changed direction, lashing out at the thugs.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
Exactly three times.
Each time the rope swung, one more hit the dirt.
This was the power gap between a third-rate mage and street thugs.
"Huff."
"S-somebody help me."
"We're sorry! We'll never act out again!"
I retracted the rope and spoke shortly.
"Drop everything you have and fuck off. There is no second chance. Come back here again, and you're dead."
"Yeeeees!"
They dropped their coin purses and fled frantically from the street around the inn.
I'd memorized all their faces, so if they loitered around here again, I'd kill them.
The street fell quiet in a flash.
Citizens passing by stared at me with startled eyes.
"A mage was living here?"
"B-be careful."
The surroundings were a bit stirred up, but that wasn't my problem.
I walked toward the old man, who was standing silently in the middle of the street.
"It's been a while, sir."
"Good to see you. Three months since our last meeting."
The old man carrying the bundle smiled as he answered my greeting.
I bowed my head first to show my gratitude.
"The magic book you gave me last time was a tremendous help. I suspected it was a fake at first, but it turned out to be genuine. Thanks to it, my life has improved a lot."
"Nonsense. There's no need for all that gratitude. The fangs I received from you helped me as well. We merely made a trade."
Fangs? Did he mean those goblin fangs I'd picked up in Morris Forest?
How were junk items worth only 2 copper each helpful to him?
No matter how I looked at it, I got the winning end of that deal. I just couldn't grasp this old man's state of mind.
"So what brings you here?"
"I was looking for someone."
"Just tell me who, and I'll turn this whole neighborhood upside down. Just say the word."
"No need for that. The person I was looking for... was you."
What?
He came looking for me?
Hearing the old man's words, a sense of anticipation welled up.
Maybe this was another chance to make a beneficial "trade" with him.
My eyes naturally fixated on the thick, bulging bundle he was carrying.
"Did you come to make another trade with me?"
"I have that in mind, but there is something more important than a trade. I'm curious how you've been living these past three months. I'd like to hear who you met and what you've accomplished."
"My story, you mean."
I had plenty to tell.
Because a lot had happened to me over the past three months.
Judging by his expression, the old man was genuinely interested in my story.
"Share your tale with me over a drink. Guide me to a tavern nearby. The drinks are on me."
"Got it."
I pretended to be nonchalant, but inside I was a bit flustered.
I never expected to end up drinking with this mysterious old man.
Still, if he was buying the booze, of course I had to go.
I led the old man to a tavern near the inn.
*
The Moon's Blessing Tavern.
A bar where adventurers in this neighborhood often gather to celebrate after finishing quests.
There, I ordered drinks and snacks and shared my story with the old man, clinking glasses.
"This happened shortly after our meeting, sir. I took a quest at the Adventurer's Guild and met a red-haired girl as my party member. She was a swordswoman named Rebecca, but she also turned out to be my destined woman."
"A destined woman... you're more sentimental than you look. So, what happened next?"
"I'm not just saying it—she really was, sir. Not only that, there wasn't just one destined woman, but two."
"You're a fortunate young man."
The tale of a man and woman began by subduing a cunning Kelpie together at the lakeside.
Precious bonds forged while exploring a forest, traveling to a trade city, confronting the giants of Jotunheim in a seaside cave, walking dark underground waterways, and struggling against orcs in an abandoned mine.
All were unforgettable memories.
Of course, the long-winded adventure tales somehow turned into my grumbling about my life as they got closer to the present.
Because my current situation wasn't entirely joyful.
"Because of my greed, I ended up having to take responsibility for two women. Both are precious connections to me. I thought everyone would be happy once we started dating, but that wasn't the case. My lovers aren't getting along well."
"Are your two lovers holding grudges against each other?"
"No, it's not that. They're actually considerate of one another, which is exactly why they can't get close."
"That's a troublesome affair. If they were actually fighting, there might be a solution. Still, isn't it all your karma?"
"You're right."
Once I poured out my worries to the old man, I felt a bit lighter.
But the relief was probably just fleeting.
Until my lovers' problems were resolved, the worries would continue.
"Lately, my magical growth has also slowed, and I've been swamped with worries about human relationships. That's when I happened to run into you again, sir."
I let out a sigh and continued.
"Putting magic aside, I don't know how to solve my lovers' problem. It's not something magic can fix. I've tried everything for a month, and nothing worked. This is the first time I've ever felt this helpless."
"You say it cannot be solved by magic?"
"Of course it can't. Magic is just a discipline and a skill. How can it solve the problems of life?"
Could the old man have a solution?
I looked at him with a faint hope, but his answer was unexpectedly realistic.
"You're right. There are things magic cannot solve."
"You think the same as me, sir."
"A long time ago, I had a younger brother. We brothers were outstanding mages, revered by all in those days. But we fell out over the matter of his children. My brother's children were extremely violent."
"Violent children, you say?"
"That's correct. The eldest daughter was a vicious witch, the second was a beast that sought to destroy everything, and the third was a tyrant who knew no bounds."
Huh?
What kind of story was this suddenly?
Listening blankly to the old man's voice, I realized I was now hearing his family history.
It felt a bit strange that an old man who seemed like a mythical sage had a brother and a family.
"I believed I had to kill those children before they grew further. They would clearly grow into evil beings, but my brother felt differently. As a father, he could not abandon his children. We brothers fought over the children."
"......."
He tried to kill his brother's children?
What kind of horrifying person does that?
I was so dumbfounded by the cruel words, but for some reason, I couldn't open my mouth to argue with him.
I just listened quietly to his story, as if entranced by something.
"Once, I believed magic could solve everything. I thought magic could somehow deal with my brother's children and my brother's sorrow. But that was my arrogance."
The old man smiled bitterly and looked at me.
"......."
"Now that the story is over, it is time to trade. What I can give you is the name of the magic book I gave you long ago. If the owner calls it by its name, the magic book will begin to reveal new abilities."
Finally, the trade with the old man began.
I focused and listened carefully to his words.
I didn't know what it meant for the magic book to reveal new abilities.
But if he was granting it this time as well, I just had to bow my head and accept it.
"You should also lay out the items you will trade. Take out anything. I will choose from among them."
I placed various valuable objects on the floor under the table.
A coin pouch containing silver coins, a longsword, the robe and boots I was wearing, and various other odds and ends from slaying monsters.
"I'll take this sword."
What the old man chose was none other than the longsword.
If he wanted something valuable, he should've taken the coin pouch. I had no idea what criteria he used to select trade goods.
But it was a gain for me anyway, since I rarely used that longsword.
The old man, having taken the longsword, told me the name of the magic book.
"That book's name is 'Rumi.' It's a partner that will guide you on the path of a mage. When you return home, call its name immediately."
Rumi, huh.
Somehow, it sounded like a feminine name.
The old man added one more thing after revealing the name.
"Rumi is also an old friend of mine. I hope you treat it with the care you would give a daughter, not just a book."