Volume 7 Chapter 1 'Fly' Spell
Al carefully packed the old clothes he received into his bag and left the Levy merchant guild. He quickly looked around and walked through the door of the shop next door. This was the same store where he had bought the 'Carrier' spellbook before. Luckily, the same clerk who helped him last time came out, and when Al nodded slightly, the clerk seemed to remember him and smiled back.
"Good evening. Do you buy magic tools here?"
When Al asked, the clerk shook his head apologetically.
"Our store specializes in spellbooks and magic tools that have quality assurance from the magician guild. Because of this, we do not buy items directly. I recommend you take them to the adventurer guild instead."
I see... Al nodded. If he took it to the adventurer guild, they would probably ask him a lot of questions about how he got the items. He didn't want to talk much about the goblin mage. It seemed like bringing the button-shaped magic tool to Lara, the woman who sell garbage scroll, would be less troublesome.
"That's too bad. Well, how much is the 'Fly' spellbook?"
Last time he heard it was 40 gold coins. If he sold the used spellbooks and button magic tools at Lara's shop, he might be able to buy it. But the clerk had a sorry look on his face again.
"Currently, the 'Fly' spellbook is out of stock..."
"...Huh?"
When he asked, he got a message from the capital, Rain, saying that they had shipped both of the two spellbooks that were in stock about a week ago. There aren't many spellbooks available, so it's unclear when the next shipment will come, and they mentioned that the price would likely go up a lot. It's easy to imagine that bringing them from such a far place at a high price means that's probably true.
"Is it because of the war?"
Al asked without thinking. The clerk looked puzzled at first, but as he explained, he started to agree that it might be the case. From the way he acted, it seemed like Al knew more about the situation. Although Guildmaster Levy hadn't told him to keep quiet, maybe he shouldn't have brought it up. Just to be sure, Al asked about the 'Fly' magic tool, but the clerk said they had never handled it, and even if they got it in stock, it would probably cost more than 100 gold coins.
Feeling disappointed, Al left the shop. He tried asking at other stores, but none of them had the 'Fly' spellbook. The only other place he could think of was Lara's shop. She had used items, but so far, there hadn't been any defective products. Still, in terms of selection, they were quite lacking, and the last time he asked, she didn't have the 'Fly' spellbook either. He might have to ask anyway...
* * *
"'Fly' spell? Well, I do have one, but the condition isn't great..."
Al approached the magic tool shop near the south gate and asked Lara about an item. Lara told him that the item was not in good condition and she could not recommend it. She warned that if Al tried to use it, he might fail. Despite this, she offered to sell it for 10 gold coins. Al attempted to negotiate for a lower price due to the high risk of failure, but Lara insisted that the price was fair and would not lower it.
"How long do you think it will take for the regular store to get it in stock?"
At Al's question, Lara tilted her head. He wondered if there was a craftsman who could make spellbooks, but when he asked if they could make one if he ordered it, she laughed and said it was probably impossible for them.
"It might come in about a year. Just be patient and wait."
Lara's words made Al think for a moment.
"If you really want to fly, well... there is an 'Animal Transformation' spell, but I wouldn't recommend it. If there was a spell to transform into a flying magic beast, that would be great, but unfortunately, there isn't one right now."
The 'Animal Transformation' spell lets you change into different animals, including birds, fish, and insects. When you become a bird, you can fly; as a fish, you can swim underwater. However, there are important downsides. You cannot use other spells while transformed, and you lose all your clothes and equipment.
There is a fairy tale about a magician who tricked someone into turning into a small bug, and that character was quickly squished. This story is based on a real event. When you transform, you also take on both the good and bad traits of the new animal, which can be very risky. Because of this, Lara does not recommend using the spell.
Also, it seems that magic beasts like griffins and wyverns each have their own transformation spells, but Lara has never seen those spellbooks.
Al thought deeply about whether to wait a year, try something with a high chance of failure, or take the risk...
"By the way, a new 'Dispel Magic' spellbook just came in. You would want to buy it, right? It's 8 gold coins."
'Dispel Magic' spell! He really want that. If he has it, he could have easily canceled the 'Conceal' spell from the wooden box that Ruella was in when he founds it. But he heard that the 'Fly' spell might go up in price. If he doesn't save some money, he might not be able to buy it when he needs it.
"It might be gone by tomorrow, you know? Even so..."
"Oh, are you trying to trick a little kid again?"
A familiar voice interrupted Lara. A strong scent of perfume filled the air as a woman leaned close to Al from behind.
"Tricking? That sounds bad. What brings a vixen like you to a place like this?"
Lara's voice was sharp. The one who had quietly approached Al from behind, lost in thought, was Carmilla. Previously, she had tried to pickpocket Al using her charm. In a panic, Al lightly tapped his wallet to check it.
Seeing Al's reaction, Carmilla smiled seductively.
"I don't need anything from you, old lady. Rather I wanted to talk to you, Al. Hey, how about we go eat some delicious food together? Of course, I'll treat you. Okay?"
This kind of talk usually leads to trouble. However, Carmilla had somehow pressed her ample chest against Al's back and hugged him from behind. Al felt flustered.
"No, um, that's a bit..."
"I'm not going to take anything from you. I just want to hear about your adventures on the expedition..."
Adventures on the expedition? Just like before, where did this woman hear about that?
"Enough already. You can see he's uncomfortable. Plus, are you planning to steal customers right in front of me?"
When Lara waved her fingers, Carmilla quickly hid behind Al.
"Alright, fine. But, Al, you're strange. Most guys would start grinning just from my little smile..."
"Maybe the allure of the vixen has faded."
Carmilla reacted sharply to Lara's words.
"Well, I guess I'll come back another time. See you later, Al."
Carmilla said this with a bright smile and walked away. Al tilted his head. What was she really thinking?
"Al, you must have done something impressive. That vixen came to check it out."
Lara said in a small voice. Al looked at her face with a puzzled expression. According to her, Carmilla is one of the top information brokers in this city. Many people go to her to buy information. It seems she heard rumors about Al's achievements and came to see if they were true. Maybe she even mentioned "the stories of your exploits during the expedition" to observe his reaction. When they met before, her attempt to pickpocket him might have been a way to test Al's skills.
"Why would she come to someone like me?"
"I've heard that the head of the Levy merchant guild is really interested in you. I bet more information is gathered at the vixen's place."
Al smiled wryly. He thought there probably wasn't any special information that an information broker could have. The only things he was hiding were stories about his assistant and the 'Conceal' spell.
"Well, that's fine. Ms. Lara, can you buy magic tools from me?"
"I can help, but first, your items need to be checked. You will need to pay a fee of ten silver coins for each item. After the check, we can talk about the buying price. Please note that I might not be able to buy some items, and there are also things I cannot evaluate. If you are a skilled magician, you could learn to check magic tools yourself. That might be a better option for you."
Al was interested in magic tools back in middle school and had looked into them. However, he only bought cheap, non-working magic tools and tried to take them apart on his own. Thanks to that, he was able to show Fitz how to dismantle a magic tool. In the end, he only figured out where the magic inscription was, but he didn't understand its content at all.
"Can you teach me about magic tools?"
"If you're interested, sure. You seem to have good skills as a magician. But there's a condition. You have to pay one gold coin as tuition. And I want you to send any business inquiries my way."
Business inquiries mean that if there are customers wanting to buy or sell magic tools, they should come to Lara first. Well, since Al didn't plan to do any appraisals for profit, this condition wasn't a big deal for him.
"If you can offer a fair price, then please go ahead."
"Of course. I always offer fair prices."
Lara nodded. She had secured her promise. If the price wasn't fair, Al could sell elsewhere.
"So, what about the spellbook? Is just the 'Dispel Magic' spellbook enough for you?"
Al shook his head vigorously, as if that was impossible.
"Of course, I want to buy all of them. But will I have enough money? How much is the 'Animal Transformation' spell?"
"Wait, all of them? Are you serious?"
In the past 6 months, Al was able to earn a lot of money. If he waits a year, he could save enough to buy the 'Fly' spellbook, even if its price goes up. But more importantly, he can get a cheap spellbook that is good quality. Al had no choice but to go for that option.
"If you want the 'Animal Transformation' spell, it's just 3 gold coins... But I don't think you need to be so greedy about it."
Al smiled brightly and added 5 gold coins from his own wallet to the 17 gold coins he got from Guildmaster Levy.
"The condition of the 'Fly' spellbook is bad. I told you that."
"But you won't give me a discount, right?"
"Seriously... Alright, I get it. So, buying is the only option. I'll sell it for 8 gold coins. Keep it a secret from the others."
That means a total of 20 gold coins. Al smiled again, took out 2 gold coins, and handed them to Lara.
"First, read this about magic tools. When you finish, come by in the evening. I usually close the shop around this time, and then I'll teach you."
"Thank you very much!"
Al cheerfully replied as he received 3 spellbooks and a rolled-up bundle of parchment that looked similar from Lara.
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