Chapter 44

The rainy season had been going on for about a month and a half, and the temperature had risen significantly. Recently, it had become so warm that one would break into a sweat just by sitting still. It had been a while since the second church bell of the morning had rung, and most shops had likely already opened for business.

"Good morning..."

Al opened the door to the dining room with a sleepy face. The dining area, with six tables lined up, was quiet and empty. In the kitchen, Raine, the wife of the innkeeper Lars, and her daughter Iris were washing dirty dishes.

"Good morning," "Good morning."

While listening to the two voices, Al approached the kitchen, filled a wooden bowl with stew from a pot, and took a piece of black bread from a basket on the counter. He then sat down at a counter seat.

"Thank you for always doing it yourself."

Raine smiled without stopping her washing. The stew smelled sweet and was very appetizing. Al took a bite and nodded.

"It's delicious today. What's this flavor?"

"It's fenugreek. Have you heard of it? The seeds have started to be harvested and are now available. It has a nice flavor, doesn't it?"

Al tilted his head. Fenugreek was a well-known herb used for strengthening and digestive purposes. It was supposed to be very bitter, but he was impressed that it could change so much when used in cooking.

"Feeling the food taste good is also thanks to you, Al."

Raine said this with a deep sense of gratitude. Al tilted his head again. According to her explanation, since a few days ago, Al had been using a light spell to save on oil for the dining room lamps. As a result, they no longer needed to use the lamps, and the flavors of the dishes were more noticeable. The smell of the animal fat used in the lamps was quite pungent. Although they had been using relatively good quality fat, it made a big difference. Al sniffed the air again and nodded in agreement.

"It's only for the time I'm staying here, but I've managed to adjust the timing well."

Al looked proud. The reason he could adjust the timing was that he had just learned a magic control spell. This spell not only replenished the magical power in the magic stones used for magical devices but also allowed him to add more magical power to the spells he had already cast.

For example, when using a light spell, the effect time was determined by the user's proficiency. If you knew the effect time, you could wait for it to expire and then recast the spell to maintain the brightness. In Al's case, he could set the brightness and effect time in advance, but this was only when he first cast the spell. However, with the magic control spell, he could add more magical power to the spell he had already cast, and even reset the brightness and effect time. As a result, he could add more magical power at any time without being constrained by the spell's expiration, and he no longer had to worry about missing the timing.

"By the way, Al. You've been in your room for the past three weeks without working. Are you okay?"

Iris, who had been washing dishes, brought a wooden cup of water. "Umm, yeah..." Al's expression turned uncomfortable. He had been so captivated by the new spell book he had acquired that he had been learning spells non-stop and had neglected his work. His funds were running low.

"I, I'll go to work soon. Barbara should be back, and the armor I ordered should be ready."

"You can't just play around all the time just because you have money."

From the other side of the counter, Raine reached out to collect Al's empty wooden bowl and spoon. Learning spells was not playing, but to Al, it felt similar. Feeling a bit anxious, Al tried to change the subject and showed Iris the pendant hanging from his chest. It was a flat, round, blue crystal about 2 cm in diameter, framed in a silver metal with a hemp cord running through it.

"Wow, it's beautiful."

Iris stopped her work and stared at the blue crystal. She could see white, wavy lines of light emanating from the center of the crystal.

"I got it from my grandfather. He found it in an ancient ruin. I don't know what kind of magical device it is, but it's beautiful, right?"

Al felt a bit embarrassed as he saw Iris's face, which was very close to his, staring intently at the crystal. He quickly took off the pendant and handed it to her.

"Until now, it would react to a magic detection spell, but it didn't seem to have any practical use. When I looked closely, it was just a blue, transparent stone with a faint light in the center and a metal frame. I even tried putting a magic stone near it, but nothing happened. However, after learning the magic control spell and adding magical power to it, it started to glow like this."

Iris was amazed and held the pendant up to the light of the lamp and the bright sunlight streaming through the window.

"It must be very valuable."

Al smiled and nodded at Iris's confident statement. While magical devices were generally thought of as very useful, according to his grandfather, who explored ancient ruins, there were many that had no known use. That was part of the dream, his grandfather had said. This pendant was a symbol of that, and Al had often gazed at it alone.

"Anyway, I'm a bit late today, but I'm going out for a bit."

Al took the pendant back from Iris and stood up energetically.

-----

Al's first destination was the main office of the Revi Trading Company. He passed by the store that sold spell books without stopping, as he had no money. After telling the clerk his business, he was quickly led to a reception room. Instead of flowers, a branch of a tree with new buds was decoratively placed, giving off a fresh scent, which seemed to be cinnamon. The door to the reception room was soon knocked on, and when Al said "Come in," it was opened with a bang.

"Thank you, Alfred. I'm glad you came."

Entering the reception room were Rue and the head of the Revi Trading Company. Rue was wearing a blue dress and looked lively. Al smiled, relieved to see her looking well, and she returned a radiant smile.

"I really appreciate it. Thanks to you, I didn't have to go through any terrible experiences, and no strange rumors started."

Rue's words were echoed by the head of the Revi Trading Company, who nodded repeatedly.

"However, to think there are such bad magic users... No, I don't mean to criticize all magic users, but I'm at a loss as to what to do."

The head of the Revi Trading Company sounded very frustrated. Of course, not all magic users were bad, and the Magic Users' Guild had implemented measures such as regulating certain spells as forbidden and requiring registration and ethical education for magic users. However, the crimes did not stop.

As someone who had dabbled in forbidden spells, Al felt a bit guilty inside but could only nod and say, "It's a difficult problem."

"If you don't mind, what happened to the rest of the gang after that?"

When Al asked, the head of the Revi Trading Company shook his head. They had managed to catch the gang in Oakley Village, but according to him, there was still more to the story, and it wasn't completely resolved. Barbara was still investigating, and Rue was to have a bodyguard for a while.

"As a token of our gratitude, I have prepared this for you. Rue told me that the best gift for you would be a spell book. I asked the store that sells spell books what was popular now, and they recommended this. I hope you like it..."

After some conversation, the head of the Revi Trading Company finally presented a fine wooden box to Al. The label on the box read "Magic Tornado." It was a spell that could attack all opponents within a spherical range centered on a specified point. It was a flashy spell that could attack multiple targets at once and was very popular. It had been selling for about 35 gold coins a few months ago.

"Of course, I haven't learned it yet, and I'm very grateful. However, such an expensive item..."

Al hesitated to accept it, but the head of the Revi Trading Company insisted and practically forced the wooden box into Al's hands.

"That's how much you helped us. We hope you will continue to support Rue and Lord Narish. We have also properly thanked Cain, though not to this extent. Also, Barbara wants to talk to you later. I hope you can cooperate."

Convinced, Al accepted the wooden box. He was very happy to have acquired another spell book recently, but he also needed to restart his work and slow down a bit. He thanked them repeatedly and left the reception room.

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